


One Thing Leads to Another

by Sheselectric



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Age Difference, Alternate Reality, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Divergence, Developing Relationship, F/M, Gang Violence, Protective Jughead Jones, Romance, Secret Relationship, Serpent!Jughead, Sexual Content, Sexual Tension, Smut, Swearing, Virgin!Betty
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-24
Updated: 2019-02-28
Packaged: 2019-04-07 10:53:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 32,645
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14079318
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sheselectric/pseuds/Sheselectric
Summary: Betty's and Jughead's ways intertwine as she is looking for a way to get rid of Chic and he is struggling to stop Hiram from taking over the Southside.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I decided to take my favorite characters from the show and focus on their relationship; everything else serves as the background and a way for them to get closer together. This story has a plot, but it's relationship-driven. If you are looking for an action-packed fic, that's probably not the one. 
> 
> I altered some of the events from the show: Jughead has already graduated and has taken the role of the Serpents' leader. Betty is in her senior year of high-school. There is no past relationship between them. Jughead has never been the part of the group, he has never been close to Archie or anyone from the Northside.   
> Some events were removed (Black Mask), but some of them remain as they are in canon (Jason's murder, Chic storyline). Some of them are spawned over longer period of time (Southside high school closing; Hiram's business practices).   
> The biggest difference is that Betty's development is as it was in the beginning of the show. Her dark side has not yet been explored.   
> Clearly, the pack didn't take part in all the murder/mystery solving. I will pick and choose what events/storylines make it into the story as I see fit for the development of the relationship. Of course, I will always make a note or simply explain it in the text if it has been altered in comparison to canon. 
> 
> I have already written most of this work and I will be uploading with a weekly schedule. The first few chapters might seem slow, but they are mostly to build the background, establish a timeline, and to understand the characters as they are in this fic. I tend to writer shorter chapters (in comparison to some amazingly-written, long pieces that people post - kudos to them), but I upload more frequently and there's more of them.
> 
> All constructive critique is welcomed, so are any comments to be honest. I hope that this will be enjoyed, even if by a single person.

Betty's hand twitched as she made her way into the Whyte Wyrm. She knew she didn't belong as soon she crossed threshold of that place. She knew she didn't belong when eyes of everyone that she passed focused on her. She tried to hold her head high as Serpents around her whispered and chuckled over their beers.

She knew some of them from school. Shady guys who never involved themselves with other Riverdale High students; ones who kept to themselves and spent their breaks observing the rest of school's population. In another setting she would try and force a smile. Make herself appear sweet. That surely would lead to mean jokes on their side, but no man, no matter Serpent or not, would be outwardly rude to someone as approachable as Betty. But this was not the time and place, she had to play tough.

She made her way deeper into the bar and searched the room for the one person she needed to see. Jughead Jones.

He was a few years her senior and graduated while she was beginning her high school career. Taking after his father, Jughead reigned over Serpents and he did it with pride.

Not that she never crossed paths with him. Serpents would occasionally bleed into Riverdale's Northside. And anyone raised in that little town was aware of its dynamics; of the southern part and ruthless gang that ran it. She would not get mixed with that crowd though, not because she despised them as much as many others did, but because there was never an occasion for their ways to intertwine. Well, until now at least.

Betty finally located what seemed to be an office door. She deducted that if he was not enjoying himself with others, he could either be in there or not in the Whyte Wyrm at all. She didn't know the rules that Serpents lived by, but as a well-behaved young woman that she was, and of what fact her mother loved to remind her, she lightly knocked on the door. There was no response, which made her more nervous than she already was. She didn't want to feel like an intruder, but her business couldn't really wait any longer. She knocked again with more force and having received no answer, decided to open the door.

* * *

 

There was no-one inside. She scanned the place carefully. Scrapped lockers lined the walls on both sides of the room. The only window was covered with a draped fabric. There was barely any light in there. The center-piece of the place seemed to be an old desk; it was stacked with papers and coffee-stained cups, but in the midst of all the mess, she spotted an open laptop. She quickly assumed that he had to be around - the office wasn't completely dead after all. Betty wanted to leave and wait for him outside, but something about being alone in the very heart of Serpent's den made her reconsider that move. She made sure that the door behind here were closed and moved further into the room.

She didn't know why, but there was always this kind of sick curiosity that made her do things that wouldn't be considered the smartest. Maybe it was the investigative spark shared by all the Coopers. After all, her parents ran the Riverdale Register. Her mother specifically didn't understand the meaning of boundaries.

Betty wanted to peek at the papers. It's not like she had an agenda, she wouldn't want to spite the Serpents, especially considering she came to them for help. But she wondered what was being written so feverishly, printed, and re-written again. She knew that kind of drive, she understood it.

Now, she had no idea what could Jughead Jones possibly write about in secrecy of his office, but she was aware that he ran a series of articles concerning the future of the Southside - exposing dirty deeds, stirring the Riverdale's pot. He would be considered an activist, and perhaps, he would even be applauded by the community, if not for the fact that he was also the head of a gang that did more than sell drugs. She was nearly bending over the desk and running her fingers through the papers when the door opened with a slam. Betty turned around quickly and laid her hands flat on her hips.

Jughead was standing in the entrance, his face expression sour. She never had an occasion to look at him up close so she took her chance.

He was tall, not extremely so, but definitely taller than her. He appeared handsome. His symmetric features, defined lips, and soft bluish eyes made him pleasant to look at. He looked young, well, he was young, only a few years her senior, but there was the definite mark of tiredness that crossed his face. Jughead didn't seem to sleep well.

Betty was quick to find similarities between him and his father, FP. He decided to dethrone as to give power to his only son, which also made him a more common guest in various Northside locations. They both had dark hair and similar intensity in their eyes. They dressed similarly, but it was a common mark of all Serpents - leather jackets, t-shirts, flannel shirts, heavy boots. Jones men had a feel of unruliness about them, but they stood tall and proud. They didn't look threatening at the first glance, but there was something about them that made you feel vary.

Betty would feel vary of Jughead, if not for the fact that he was possibly the only guy who has ever made her face turn hot. No denying it, he was an attractive man. Strong and obviously with a very real power, but at the same time, he seemed almost familiar. Betty didn't know him well. In truth, she barely knew him, but she could imagine them getting along. She was quick to let go of that thought. It was embarrassing.

"What are you doing here?" he asked quite unpleasantly as he made his way into the room. She stepped aside as he reached the desk and swooped the papers. When he made sure that no-one touched them, he turned around and rested over the desk's rim. His arms were crossed across his chest. Jughead was looking at her face, and he would probably keep an eye-contact if not for the fact that she avoided his gaze. "Well?" he asked. Betty finally managed to compose herself.

"I need your help," she started carefully. He raised his brows and smirked. "Serpents' help," she corrected herself and looked down.

"Betty Cooper needs my help," he said quietly shaking his head. "Serpents' help," he added sarcastically and she blushed. He walked behind the desk and sat down. He eased into the seat and raised his hands. "I am listening. How can the great Serpent clan be of help? What can the noblest gang in this State do for you?" It seemed as if Jughead didn't take himself too seriously. As if he didn't take his role as the leader too seriously, but it was just the assumption that Betty made. He was bitterly playful, which embarrassed her, but she decided it was better than feeling threatened. She walked to the desk and started with a more decided tone.

"I need you to help me get rid of someone." Jughead's smirk disappeared. His posture straightened. Suddenly, the playful man she saw in front of her moments ago was replaced by a stone cold figure. He seemed mad.

"We are not here to deal with Northern's side dirty deeds," he spitted. "We are not your thugs for rent." Betty realized that he misunderstood her. The thought scared her. She didn't want to murder anyone; she just wanted to…what did she really want?

"No, no," she said quickly. "I don't want you to do anything like…that." He eased again. His hands crossed at his lap.

"Then?" he asked. Betty realized that if she was to get anything from him, from the Serpents, she needed to be upfront about it. Honest. She had to explain it to him even though she felt both embarrassed and vile that she would even consider doing what she was about to ask.

"It's about my brother." This sparked Jughead's curiosity. His brows furrowed as he leaned in her direction.

"Brother? Coopers are only sisters." It was partially truth. It used to be only sisters, her and Polly, until just a few months back. In a twist of events that Betty didn't want to reveal to Jughead just yet, they acquired a new family member – Chic. Her mother's son that she gave away before Polly was even in the plans.

It wasn't that her inner circle didn't know about him. Actually, she was sure that more than her friends knew. It wasn't as if her mother kept him a secret; even more so after her and Betty's father parted ways. Coopers were always known in their neighborhood, hell, before all of that, Alice was surely known in the Southside too. But as it was now, she would only be the talk of this part of town when she wrote less than stellar articles about Serpents. Betty wasn't surprised that Jughead knew her, but she also wasn't surprised that he didn't know about Chic. She tried to be honest, but diplomatic. She was aware that her fear of Chic would sound crazy to someone from the very outer circles.

"There is also a brother," she stated vaguely. Jughead didn't push her. She felt relieved that he let her speak on her own terms. Betty hesitated, but she came here for a reason. "I will explain situation in detail when the time is right…but now, I need your help." She finally managed to look him in the eyes. "Chic needs to go," Betty said flatly. Jughead leaned into the chair. He was thinking. "I don't want you to harm him," she continued "but he is a threat and I…I can't deal with this situation anymore."

Her voice was quieter than she intended. He seemed sincerely concerned. It made Betty feel warm inside. After all, there was nothing between Jughead and her, and he could have easily dismissed her. Family affairs of some good girl from the North side? Why would the head of the Serpents even bother? But she felt that he understood it more deeply than she was letting on. Maybe he could sense the second bottom; maybe he could feel that it was more than just a misunderstanding between siblings. Maybe he simply didn't want another tragic Blossoms story that ended with one of the twins dead.

Betty felt that she wanted to tell him all of it. She wanted to explain all the details and dead-ends. She wanted him to know why he was her last resort and why the situation escalated into what it was. She almost felt as if she could tell him her biggest secret, but that single thought changed her approach suddenly. He was a stranger, and no matter how interested, perhaps even caring, she couldn't trust him. She couldn't just pour herself into him. Betty wished that she had more outlets to share her real feelings, her fears…the madness that would wash over her at times. But it wasn't the time or the place. She brought herself back into reality. She realized that she was quiet for a longer moment, but as soon as her eyes focused on him, he spoke.

"What can I do, Betty?" She liked how her name sounded in his mouth. She moved closer and glossed over the papers.

"You are an investigative journalist, right?" She was carelessly going through the stacks. Jughead laughed.

"I haven't received any accolades yet but I am not looking forward to it anyway. Mass culture doesn't value outsiders like me. They wouldn't see the genius of my job." he joked. She smiled lightly. "I write though, yes. But I don't seek some sick sensation…I do it for my people."

"Well," she said "maybe you could use your investigative talents to help me find something on Chic. Something that would…make him want to leave." She looked him directly in the eyes. Silence loomed over them. Jughead seemed both surprised and concerned. Betty didn't know what to do to make him take her offer, but she figured that some things spoke to everyone.

"I will pay."

He laughed dismissively.

"I don't want your money." She started playing with her fingers. Betty felt as if she was grasping at straws here. If not money then…

"You are friends with Veronica Lodge," he said, interrupting her thoughts.

She was taken aback. Was he observing her? Were the Serpents? She wasn't stupid, it was clear that the gang had its people everywhere; it wasn't a surprise that students would report back to Jughead on school affairs. But her and Veronica? Why would they be of interest?

Jughead realized that Betty was trying to piece the puzzles together. He decided to help her. "Don't worry. I am not spying on you. I am interested in the Lodges. I know that Hiram is not just a family-friendly businessman." He scoffed. "He started making suspicious moves in the neighborhood." It clicked in Betty's head. Jughead wanted inside information on Hiram. He wanted Betty to get them from Veronica. Was this the price to pay for his help?

"What do you want me to do?" He smiled. He had it all figured out in his head already.

"I will investigate for you, if you will investigate for me."

That didn't sit right with Betty's ethics. She knew that the Lodges had quite an opinion in Riverdale. She heard the stories of Hiram's business practices. But after all, he was the father of her closest friend. She wouldn't want to disrespect him if there was nothing to it. And she didn't want to lose Veronica.

As weird as their friendship was, Ronnie held a place in her heart. Not to mention that she dated Archie, and Archie…That was another person that Betty wouldn't want to harm.

If she agreed to Jughead's terms, and if it all came to light for some reason, she would lose two people that mattered to her. At the same time, she felt a thrill of discovering something. Some dirty truth. Some big story that would turn Riverdale on its head. Suddenly, there were more pros to this than cons. The biggest one was the urgent matter that was her situation with Chic. But she would also get to work with Jughead, figure the ins and outs of not only Hiram, but also Serpents.

She gave him a small smile.

"We have a deal."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to post day earlier due to Easter preparations tomorrow and what not. Either way, as I was looking through this work, I decided that some chapters should be merged together. Some editing and here it is, glorious 4,5k words, possibly my longest chapter ever (I go 2-2,5k mark usually). I really hope that you enjoy it and if you do - please let me know!
> 
> Also, I'm not from the States but as far as I am aware, bus transit is awful in most big cities and non-existent in smaller ones. I assume Riverdale doesn't have buses or maybe I just haven't noticed, but I really feel like I need some type of transport for Betty to use when she's not walking/being picked up. For the sake of it, I included bus transit here, but if any of you have any good recommendation on other, perhaps more plausible options there are, I'd love to hear it!

Betty had to leave before they could agree on the details; their conversation was interrupted by two Serpents that clearly had big news to share. She was out the Whyrm’s door when Jughead caught up to her.

“I'm sorry about that,” he said. “You know how it is with business.” He smiled widely and she couldn’t help but chuckle. “Anyway, here’s my phone number.” He handed her a small piece of paper. She wondered why he wouldn’t just ask her to exchange numbers, they literally had phones in their pockets.

Betty figured that Jughead, no matter his roots, wasn’t quite like other Serpents. She couldn’t imagine him pushing himself onto someone. He was probably trying to be a gentleman about it and allow her to call him if she wished, instead of making her feel as if she couldn’t refuse the number exchange. She liked how respectful he was.

He gave her a small smile and headed back into the building. It was still light outside so she decided to walk some distance and get on the bus further down the road. Maybe it wasn’t the best idea for a sweet blond-haired girl in a pink sweater to walk those streets alone, but she didn’t mind. Everything was better than getting home and having to be faced with Chic.

Betty strolled down the main road and watched the decaying buildings around her. It was interesting how lively the Southside inhabitants were when it came to protecting something so...sad, so dead.

She wasn’t the one to think that they didn’t deserve their place, the idea favored by many Riverdale citizens. It was just strange to cross the railways and get from the picturesque Northside into this. Betty wondered what it was about those grounds that Serpents found so precious. Was it simply that they were born and raised here? Just as their parents and grandparents before them? Was it pride of having whatever piece of terrain? Was it only to spite people from the North? She wished she could ask Jughead about it.

All her thoughts led to him. It wasn’t new to Betty to think about a boy, but it sure was awkward. The only other person she liked before was Archie, her closest childhood friend and neighbor. It was only natural for her to develop those feelings as he grew into a handsome man, but remained as attentive as he was when a boy. Nothing serious ever happened; she grew out of those feelings as soon as he started dating Veronica.

But Jughead - that was different. There was no reason for her to like him. In fact, no matter the physique and specific personal charm, he was everything that she wasn’t. To start with, he was from the Southside.

Hell, he wasn’t just “from the Southside”, he was raised to become a Serpent leader, a gang leader. Betty knew there was more to them than drug dealing, which honestly would be enough for her to fear them. FP was taking part in the Blossom’s murder, given he didn’t do it; he still helped to cover the tracks. He literally disposed of the body. She could only imagine what other things Serpents helped with.

Jughead, no matter how nice he was to her, was the top of Southside’s food-chain. He was responsible for the gang’s doings. He couldn’t be both a good boy that would fit Betty perfectly and a Serpent. She wished with all her will to not swoon over him, to go back on her word, and to deal with Chic alone. But she couldn’t do it. If she had that opportunity, she wouldn’t ask for help in the first place.

Betty felt both guilty and curious and it was messing with her head. She wished she wasn’t kept so tightly under her mother’s thumb. She wished she had some more freedom and wouldn’t literally need to befriend Serpents to feel a thrill. But the thrill, she loved it. Damn the guilt, she was opposing her mother in the worst way possible and she couldn’t help herself.

* * *

 It was already dark outside when she made it to the house. She entered quietly. Not that she had to sneak her way in, she just prefered not to have to face her mother… or Chic. Not now. She removed her coat and moved to the stairs, but stopped in her tracks when she heard his voice.

“Betty."

Chic was seated in the living-room armchair. Fire lit only half of his frame, but it was enough for her to twitch. He always looked so unnatural, almost as he was on the the edge, ready to run, only that she knew that he was rather ready to strike. Perhaps if he had some of Hal’s pleasant features, he wouldn’t appear so creepy, but as Betty recently learned, he had none of the Blossoms’ blood, but a whole lot of her mother’s and she wasn’t the most sweet-looking woman on the planet.

She had some wildness in her features – high cheekbones, sharp nose, and cat eyes. Chic had it in him as well, only intensified by his obvious slimness. It was as if he woke up from his grave to haunt Betty. And that smile, it never met his eyes. She didn’t know whether he was forcing it to unsettle her or whether he just wasn’t capable of genuine human emotions.

“Chic,” she said flatly. Betty couldn’t bring herself to feel comfortable around him. How could she after everything that happened?

“Where were you?” he asked quietly. Chic was always asking her questions like this. Where were you? With whom? What were you doing? On one hand, she was sure that he was questioning her to make sure that she knew she was being watched. On the other, Chic’s behavior made it clear that he was obsessive about her and her mother. He just had to know.

“That’s none of your business,” she spitted venomously. Sometimes Betty was surprised with how cold and terrible she could be. But he deserved all of it. Chic didn’t lose his smile, but he hung his head low and focused on the photo album that laid spread on his lap. Betty climbed the stairs quickly and entered her bedroom, shutting the door with a loud slam.

* * *

 She was tucked safely in her bed when she decided to text Jughead. It was pretty late and she pondered what to even say to him? “Hi”? “Hello stranger”? “What’s up”? She cringed at all those ideas; she didn’t want to come off as an annoying teenager, even though Jughead had barely reached real adulthood himself. Finally, Betty settled on a straightforward message, suggesting that they meet to discuss details of their deal.  As soon as she hit send, she put the phone down on her bed table, screen down. It vibrated almost instantly.

“Why are you awake this late Ms. Cooper?” She chuckled. Ms. Cooper. Yes, Jughead definitely didn’t take himself too seriously.

“I’m going to sleep now Mr. Jones. I just wanted to have it out of the way first.” It took him a few minutes to reply and she wondered whether she came off as mean, but he finally responded.

“Serpents are having a party on Friday. Come and free me from the hell that is Serpents’ music and irresponsible drinking.” Betty blushed. Did he invite her out? What did he mean by “free me”? Wouldn’t they stay at the party? Not that she was a fan of them. Not that she attended too many. Veronica organized some while Hiram was still away, but Betty never felt too comfortable there. She imagined this feeling would only be deepened with Serpents around, but at least Jughead would be there.

“What time? And where is it?” her life was pretty organized and a loose invitation wasn’t cutting it for her.

“I can pick you up at 9” his response was instant. Betty dwelled on the thought. She loved the idea of him picking her up, but her mother and Chic, even Archie. She didn’t want anyone of them knowing that she was meeting a Serpent, especially considering everyone’s agenda against them. Especially considering why she was meeting him in the first place. What about the technicalities of the whole action? How would she sell it to Alice? Betty decided to figure it out on her own while only texting Jughead a piece of her plan.

“Wait a street away. Goodnight.”

* * *

 She managed to leave the next day without eating a family breakfast. Yes mom, I am in a rush. No, I can’t eat with you and Chic. I know breakfast is important. I have to discuss my project with Veronica before the classes start. It wasn’t a full lie. She had to talk to Ronnie. It wasn’t hard to find her; she was sitting in the common area, drinking her coffee and running one hand through Archie’s ruffled ginger hair.

“Betty!” he exclaimed enthusiastically as she entered the room. She loved his energetic, friendly persona. Veronica gave her a warm smile as she tapped on the sit next to her.

“You are becoming an early bird,” she said. Betty put her hands in the back-pockets of her jeans and smiled shyly. “Oh, what is it?” Veronica pressed with her perfectly eyebrow raised. “Do we need to have a girly talk?” Betty nodded as she traced her gaze from Veronica’s face onto the bathroom door located in the corridor. 

“I am sorry Archiekins,” she said sweetly as she landed a quick kiss on his cheek “There are important matters to discuss.” Betty led the way and as soon as they entered the bathroom, she checked the stalls. “You are starting to scare me,” Veronica let out a small laugh. When Betty was sure that there was no-one (and especially Cheryl) hiding in the bathroom and ready to eavesdrop, she turned to face Veronica.

“I need to tell you something,” she let out finally.

“Clearly” Veronica was crossing her arms and smiling. “Is it about a boy?” Betty wondered how she could ever extract information from Ronnie without her becoming suspicious. She was extremely observant, as was her whole family apparently. There was no way that she would not sense Betty’s weird vibes. This would be a lot of work. Not only that, this would be a lot of work on someone that liked and trusted her. Guilt rushed over her.

“Actually, yes,” she made a dramatic stop as she knew Veronica was dying to her it “I’ve got a date.” Ronnie was quick to take Betty into her arms and hug her tightly. When she finally let go, she couldn’t contain her curiosity.

“Who is it? Do I know him? Is he a guy from school?” Betty was smiling quietly. “Is he a bad boy?” she teased. Betty bit her lip.

“Is he a Serpent?” she spilled finally. There was no answer. Veronica gasped.

“Betty! I didn’t know you were such a femme-fatale,” she said. “Man from the wrong side of the tracks and your friendly neighbor girl, this is straight out of a classic Hollywood drama”.

“I need your help. It’s tomorrow. At nine. My mom can’t know.” Veronica didn’t need to hear more.

“We are having a wonderful sleepover. It will consist of comfortable silk pijamas, face masks, romantic movie marathon and your date with a secret hottie.” She led Betty out of the bathroom, holding her arm and chattering happily into her ear.

* * *

 Alice was as suspicious as Betty expected.  

She decided to break the news Friday afternoon, not the best idea, but had she said it earlier, her mother would have researched the subject more deeply. She and Veronica decided that if need be, Ronnie would testify on her friend’s behalf. Betty was to leave shortly before nine and come back early in the morning, as not to ruin her perfect scholarly record by, obviously, not studying all weekend.

Still, Alice had her doubts. She questioned everything, from being a Lodge’s friend in general, to the fact that sleepovers can turn into parties or that Betty would be off to college soon so her grades mattered more than ever and simpler pleasures could wait. Betty was boiling inside. Sometimes her mother would turn the switch that made Betty irrationally angry. Chic had similar effect on her.

She was 18 for; a legal adult by all means. If she truly wanted, she could scream and argue, and perhaps even leave without a word of explanation. But her upbringing, her position as the obedient, good daughter, the one who didn’t skip school or mess around with boys as Polly did, would often stop her from bursting. She couldn’t snap, not now. Not when she needed to get those things done. She firmly, but calmly reassured her mother that all her requirements would be met, but Betty was going to spend this night with Veronica.

Chic observed the whole conversation from his usual place in the living room. His face was sour when Alice finally let go. Take it, Betty thought as she gave him her sweetest smile.

* * *

 Jughead didn’t get in touch since their texting two days ago, but she trusted that he would show up. The matter that concerned her in that moment was how to dress.

She thought it appropriate to wear something different than usual. Not too different, Alice was like a hawk on the lookout who would surely question more outgoing clothing choices. Betty settled on her regular skinny jeans and a grey T-shirt. She wished she had more black in her wardrobe; it would help her blend in with the Serpents. While going through her closet and trying to find a suitable jacket, she spotted an old jeans one. She hardly ever wore it; it was a hand-me-down from Alice. Something that didn’t suit her current, polished style, but what she was apparently attached too since she refused to throw it away.

Betty wondered why - was it a piece of her mom’s old life? Alice never spoke of her past. Well, not to her children’s faces anyway. Betty was aware though that she managed to get out of the Southside, marry her father, a proud man from the Northside, member of one of Riverdale’s oldest families.

Everything before that was a blur. Was Alice herself a Serpent? As far as Betty knew that was for life and her mom was at clear state of war with the Southside. When did Chic come into picture then? Where did he come from? Whose son he was? They found him in Riverdale; he might have as well never left this place.

Betty was running out of time. She thought that her mom's jacket was better than wearing her sandy elegant one anyway. She threw a random pajama and some toiletries into her bag. She wished she could just leave it, but sleepover without a bag would raise Alice’s concerns. As she strolled downstairs, she noticed that the living room was empty. She didn’t want to call out, in case that Chic would appear, but she couldn’t leave without a word. She quickly scribbled a little note that she left on the coffee table and like that, she was out the door.

* * *

 Betty let go of her ponytail as soon as she passed her house. She liked to keep her hair at bay, but she decided it would look more feminine. She didn’t realize it, but she was unconsciously trying to please Jughead. It was pretty apparent that boys preferred girls with long, loose hair. 

She took a turn into the next street and saw him parked on the curb, in front of a dark house. He was leaning over his motorcycle and Betty’s breath caught in her throat. She was aware that Serpents loved their bikes, but God, she somehow completely erased the idea that he would pick her up on one. He noticed her approaching unsurely and a smile spread across his face. Betty wasn’t sure how to greet him, but it was taken care of by Jughead himself. He extended his hands to take her bag and put it in the trunk of the bike. At least this was taken care of.

“Don’t worry about it,” he said, passing her a helmet. “I tamed this beast.” Betty wasn’t so sure. She stepped from leg to leg. “Come on Bonnie,” he teased “your Clyde won’t let you fall.” His joke eased her off. Partners in crime, eh? He took his place and tapped the space behind him. She put the helmet on and slowly slid into her place. They were close, her thigh rubbed over his and she couldn’t not notice the spark that jumped between them. She quickly retracted it, but there was no escaping the physical contact.

“You have to put your arms around me,” he said starting the bike. She hesitated. Yes, she wanted to be safe, but this seemed intimate. “Betty, the only skin of mine that you will be in touch with is my leather,” he assured her. She did as she was told. Her arms circled his waist. He delicately put his hand over her arm and tightened her grip. Betty knew it was to make sure she doesn’t fall off the bike, but she couldn’t lie to herself. She liked it. She liked how strong he felt under her arms, she liked how his leather squeaked with her every move. Her thoughts changed from a relaxed awe into a speed-run when he finally took off.

They started passing the houses and soon everything around her turned into a ferry of colors and lights. She has never been on a motorcycle before; she has never even been close to one. Her mother would die of a heart-attack if she saw her.

When they left behind last buildings of the town, Jughead really sped up. She could feel the wind smacking her body and she clung onto him for dear life. Her helmeted head was hugged closely into his back, but she was observing the surroundings. They took a less-used forest road. She wondered where they were off to. Dark foresty way cleared into a dusty, field-surrounded road. She could hear the music playing in the distance and she knew they were close.

Finally, the bike slowed till it stopped completely. The sounds of raunchy rock were spilling from the only building in the foreseeable distance. It looked like a family home, only that it was clearly not inhabited for years now. By the looks of things, the Serpents turned into their partying hub. As far as she was aware, it was still in the Southside part of Riverdale.

She retracted her arms when the bike’s engine quieted down. She didn’t know whether she should get off first or allow him, but he took care of it, once again. Jughead removed himself from the seat and stood in front of her. Betty didn’t expect that at all, but he reached for her helmet and delicately slid it off her head. He smiled when he saw her blushed face and unruly hair.

“You lived,” he said as he put it on the seat. Betty reciprocated his smile.

“We still have to get back.” He laughed quietly as he extended his hand to help her get off the motorcycle. She took it and the spark lit up again, jumping from his fingers onto hers. He must have felt it too because as soon as she was steadily on the ground, he let go of her.

“I can give you your bag or you can leave it in the trunk. It’s locked.” She was grateful to be able to not carry it around. “Well, welcome to the party then,” he said with a sour face as he led them to the door.

* * *

 The place was packed, but somehow, every Serpent managed to turn their head in their direction when the door closed behind them. Betty was standing quietly by his side, unsure what do with herself. Some whistles and claps could be heard over the music.

“Yeah, yeah,” he mumbled under his nose and made his way deeper into the house.

Betty was scanning the surroundings. The place was filled to the brim by Serpents of all ages. They didn’t seem to care about legality of underage drinking… or smoking, she thought as she inhaled the asphyxiating smell of cigarettes.

Some people were giving her dirty looks, they never lasted for longer than a few seconds, but she knew she was an intruder in the community. Everyone else was either wearing his leather, or had it tight around his hips. No matter the gender, each person with their arm out had it marked with a snake tattoo. Some of them were faded and the shape was hard to make out, others were visible from a distance. They weren’t identical; Serpents seemed to allow some independence in the matter, as long as it was their characteristic symbol. Betty found it fascinating, but perhaps what was even more interesting to her, was how Jughead’s tattoo looked.

She automatically moved closer to him, almost bumping into his back. He turned around and gave her a small smile.

They entered the kitchen. It was occupied by younger gang members, gathering around the table with beers firmly in their hand. They welcomed Jughead with laughs and smiles; some of them were taking him into the hug and patting his back rather aggressively. She was met with curious stares that soon turned into smirks and quiet jokes.

Betty was becoming aware of the fact that Jughead has never brought any outsider into this place. She didn’t know whether it was a good thing. She felt weirdly flattered that he would allow it when she was concerned, but at the same time, she was worried that perhaps he didn’t take into account all security measures. It was clear she was the odd one out.

“Do you want a beer?” His voice brought her back into reality. He was looking at her face attentively. Did she want a beer? She hated that she was conditioned to be so indecisive. Her family would more often than not make her decisions for her.

“May I have something else?” She asked with a forced seriousness and pickiness of someone who knew exactly what he wanted. Jughead smirked as he reached for two empty cups standing on the table.

“You may,” he said as he made his out of the kitchen and into the staircase. She followed him obediently. He started climbing the stairs, but stopped himself, as if he realized that his behavior was not polite, and instead allowed her to lead the way. It made no sense because she wouldn’t know where to go anyway, but it was nice of him. Why were they even going upstairs? She suddenly felt stressed.

When they reached the first floor, she tried to make out corridor shapes. They were lit only by weak light bulbs, hanging here and there from the ceiling. She turned around to ask him for direction, but he instantly pointed to the right. Betty slowly made her way down where he showed.

She wasn’t sure anymore if it was a good idea. He was a Serpent; a nice one, but nevertheless a Serpent. When they reached the last door, Jughead allowed himself to open them for her. The room she saw was more pleasant looking than rest of the house. Its walls were covered in floral wallpaper; it was falling off in some places, but still looked better than shabby, dirty walls that decorated the downstairs. It had a nice, big window that faced the front yard. She could make out the forest in the distance. The only pieces of furniture were a big sofa that surely lived its best life ages ago and a wooden desk.

“This is where I sit when I have to party,” she heard Jughead’s voice from behind her. It sincerely made her laugh. He laughed too. He seemed more relaxed now that they were away from the crowd. He closed the door behind him as Betty made her way into the room. She was once again scanning the environment. She quite liked it. It felt cozy, even though there wasn’t much to it. She felt less tense too now that it turned out he wasn’t taking her into his snake pit. Betty turned around to face him. He was standing there with his cups, observing her with a small smile on her face. She raised an eyebrow.

“Do you want to have some wine before we get to business?” He asked approaching the desk. She nodded her head. “A woman after my own heart,” he said dreamingly as he opened one of the desk drawers. A dusty bottle of cheap wine rolled into the wooden rim. Jughead lifted it triumphantly. “Pinot Noir. 1996. My favorite. The true conesseur will recognize this taste instantly.” Betty chuckled. She felt weirdly comfortable with him around; so much more comfortable than in her own house. He retrieved a dime and a pen from his leather pocket and opened the bottle.

“Were you in boy scouts?” He gave her a patronizing look.

“Weren’t you?” Jughead poured the liquor into the cups and passed her one. He sat down on the sofa with his head resting comfortably on its back. “Let’s talk,” he said taking a sip.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have to update today because I won't have time tomorrow. Strictly Bughead in this chapter. Hope you all like it!

They were seated within a safe distance from each other. Betty was sipping on her wine. It wasn’t the taste that she knew from Veronica’s parents liquor stash, but it was bearable. She was playing with the cup as she spoke.

“Why this place?” She smiled lightly as she lifted her head to meet his eyes. He sighed.

“Serpents love to celebrate. I'm not the fan, but I have to do it. Call it what you want, maybe I am upholding the Jones brand. My dad enjoys gatherings. It would be bad if his weirdo son didn’t show up to all those lavish banquets, no?” He surprised her. Betty sensed that he wasn't the partying type, but it seemed natural to want to spend the time with people you like. He made it seem as if it was more of a struggle than pleasure though. Maybe he didn’t even enjoy company of the rest of the gang? She wished to research this matter further, their meeting had a clear purpose.

“So, the Lodges.”

“The good ol’ Lodges,” he said without looking at her. “Hiram seems to have an agenda that he wants to push onto the Southside.” His eyes were focused on his almost empty cup. “Let me show you something.”

Jughead reached into his pocket and dug a neatly folded paper. He moved a bit closer to Betty. Now his presence  became intoxicating.

She was observing him; his unruly dark hair that waved in places and fell onto his forehead, the base of his jaw, his nose. She noticed that he had a few moles on his cheek. Her eyes lingered down onto his body; he had strong arms, and nice hands. She wanted to move even closer, to see more of him. He smelled nice. It wasn’t anything in particular, or maybe she couldn't name it, but nevetheless it was pleasant. She wished she could put her nose in the base of his neck.

He unfolded the paper. Betty was taken from her moment. She blushed and quickly chased down the rest of her wine. The paper turned out to be a map; map of the Southside to be more precise. It was clearly used; folded and unfolded many, many times. Red and blue circles were placed around important buildings. Some of them were crossed out. It had little notes on the sides and arrows pointing here and there but she couldn’t quite make out what it all meant.

 “Hiram is buying off Southside land,” he pointed to the cinema. “Lodges acquired it when he was still in prison,” he scoffed “Talk about power.” His finger slid to what used to be Southside High School. It has been closed down for years now. Betty was aware of its existence, but she never even thought about it as of a school. It was just another empty and decaying building.

For majority of teenage Riverdale population, Northern high-school was the only one that existed. Serpents started attending it before Betty even started her career there so she was sure the sentiment was as real for most of them as it was for her. She was aware though that given Jughead’s age, he attended Southside High before it closed down. It had to matter to him.

They weren't speaking about each-other's lives too much, but she could read in-between words. From all the little things that he told her, she understood that he was quite sentimental. His finger hovered over the building. “I recently learned that he bought it soon after closing.” Betty wondered what it meant. Jughead pointed to some more places all over Southside. They were either already bought or he assumed they’d be bought next. “He’s planning something big. It’s been years in the making.”

He sighed and folded the paper, which he then put back in his pocket. His eyes focused on Betty’s face. “I need to know, Betty," he started "I need to know his next steps. I don’t want to learn about it from the newspaper.”

She knew what it meant. Betty was Jughead’s only chance at insider information. She was close to Veronica, an obvious heir to Hiram’s business. Guilt started filling her again, but it was quickly replaced by realization that whatever the Lodges were planning would take place in what rightfully belonged to the Serpents. She nodded her head in agreement. Jughead gave her a small smile. He refilled their cups and leaned back on the couch. He didn’t move away from Betty though. “The brother,” he said. Betty hated the next part but it needed to be done.

“Chic,” she started “he appeared out of nowhere and now he’s taking over our house.” Jughead was watching her face attentively. She swallowed. “It turns out that my mom had a son that she gave away. It’s been years ago, but recently they reconnected.” Betty couldn’t bear the fact that she was the force behind that meeting. How she regretted it now. Jughead breathed in loudly.

"A Cooper brother, I wouldn't have thought." Betty ignored his interruption.

“He is…weird,” she said unsurely.

“Weird how?” Jughead was scanning her face. He seemed concerned.

“He's secretive. We don’t know anything about him and my mom doesn’t even mind. She’s behaving as if he’s always been there.”  Jughead’s eyes were focused on her, but she could see he’s thinking about something. “He always just sits there and stares at me. Sometimes he’s just so… threatening.” He had no idea. These words ignited something in him.

“What do you mean?” His hands were closing tightly on the cup. She hung her head low. This was too much. “Betty,” he said “you can tell me. I promise you that I will help.” She couldn’t tell him. Not yet.

“My family is in danger, Jug” that was the first time she called him that. “I need Chic out of the house; out of our lives. I think that he is not who he says he is.” Suddenly, his hands were on hers. She looked up surprised, but the contact was welcomed. The sparks. Jughead closed his grip. It felt nice. 

“I will do everything I can, Betty. You have my word.”

His face was inches away from her. He was staring into her eyes and she was staring back. Air became heavy between them.

She felt the moment important. Something changed in his behavior after she shared her story. He moved his hand to her face. It lingered slowly on her neck and rested on her cheek. His thumb caressed her. Jughead’s eyes focused on her mouth. She couldn’t move; her eyes closed as he moved closer and closer. His lips finally met hers. It was barely a kiss; he brushed off her delicately, but the sparks jumped with a much bigger force than when their hands or legs would touch. She could feel his hot breath.

It was Betty’s first. She imagined it many times, but it was never like this. Not with Jughead. Not in this secluded place, miles away from home. Not after sharing a part of her painful story, but what was the most important, she never thought it would make her feel like this.

The warmth spread over her body. He backed off slightly, his hand sliding to her arm. He was looking at her questioningly with a small smile playing on his lips. Betty didn’t know why, but she had the urge to do it again; maybe the wine made her braver.

She placed both hands on his face and now she became a giver. Their lips met again, stronger this time. It wasn’t just a brush; she locked his lips in hers. He seemed surprised at first, but soon his hands rested on her waist, gripping it. She didn’t know how to do this, but Jughead seemed more experienced. She opened her mouth slightly. He took her lower lip between his, his tongue ran along it. Betty couldn’t contain a small moan. It felt better than anything that she’s ever experienced.

Her hands were travelling from her neck to his hair; they stopped there as his tongue entered her mouth. She’s always been afraid of this, always wondering how she could navigate such a deep kiss, but it came naturally. Their lips were moving in union and she could feel her arousal arising.

As inexperienced as she was, she suddenly wanted more. She wanted to feel more of him. It was as if Jughead knew her thoughts, he lifted her slightly and moved so his back was resting over the back of the sofa. He sat her on his lap.

She felt awkward as she kneeled on him, her calves lined with his thighs. The feeling disappeared when he pulled her in for yet another kiss. It was more feverish, more pressing. His hands were travelling over her back, squeezing her skin lightly at times. Each time he did that, she tried to get closer to him, her chest rubbing on his. He slightly tilted her to the side and his lips landed on her neck. He was leaving a trail of wet kisses from the base of her jaw to her collarbone. Betty shivered as he sucked onto the delicate skin. She felt overwhelmed, the intensity of all the feelings almost making her afraid; his touch, smell, taste. It reached a tipping point where she knew she had to stop.

What on Earth was she doing? She has never even touched a guy up until this point and now she was sitting on Serpent’s lap, making out. She could imagine Alice’s face if she was to hear about it. Betty didn’t know what got into her; it was as if he was pulling her close with some force she couldn’t describe.

His fingers lingered over the piece of naked skin on her lower back, which made her back off quickly. Her hands were still resting on his chest; his own stopped at her waist. Betty could see the obvious desire in his eyes, dilated pupils, his skin reddened. His breath was catching in his throat. She didn’t know what to say so she slid off his lap and sat on the sofa with mechanical movements. She was staring at the ceiling.

“That was…” he started.

“Too much,” Betty finished. She reached for her cup and gulped down the wine. The arousal between her legs was now uncomfortable. She wished she could take a cold shower. She felt guilty. It was so out of character for her. At the same time, she was defying some ground-rules again, doing exactly what her family wouldn’t ever accept. Betty didn’t know how to feel.

Jughead was playing with his jacket. For the first time it seemed that he didn’t know what to say. Betty decided to steer the conversation away from what just happened.

“I can’t get home before eight.”

“I will stay here with you,” he gave her a small smile. She returned it.

Betty felt as if she was contradicting herself. She didn’t want to get close to Jughead because of obvious reasons, but she wanted him. It wasn’t a simple infatuation that she had toward Archie. It was something deeper, more mature. More… forbidden. She wanted to get to know him, but she also wanted him. The whole situation made her feel dizzy. Betty wanted to drift off, not to have to deal with her feelings just yet. She didn’t say anything as she curled on the sofa away from him. Jughead seemed confused on what to do next. Her eyes closed and she was on the verge of sleep when he moved.

“Wait,” he mumbled. She lifted her head a bit and saw him taking off his jacket. He covered her with squeaky leather. “It gets pretty cold here at night.” She hoped that his tattoo would now be visible, but his long-sleeve didn’t allow it. Betty closed her eyes again and drifted to sleep.

* * *

 “Betty,” Jughead was hovering over her. She opened her eyes slowly and jumped when she realized how close he was. He lifted his hands and took a few steps back. “Relax sleeping princess. You wouldn’t wake up otherwise and I didn’t want to shake you awake.” Betty looked around; the sun was shining dimly through the window.

“What time is it?”

“It’s seven, time to take you back to your castle,” he smirked. She sat up and realized that the jacket was still over her. The room was freezing.

“Were you here with me the entire night?” Betty didn’t know why she asked that. Guess she wanted to make sure that he wouldn’t leave her alone with a whole gang of Serpents downstairs.

“I only left to the toilet but I set up an electronic nanny for the time being.” Betty laughed quietly. She slowly stood up, clinging onto his jacket. She unsurely passed it to him. It was awkward - Jughead just covering her yesterday. And god, they kissed. Betty wished she drank more and remembered less, not because she regretted it, but because she was now painfully aware that it probably meant nothing to him, but it was her first kiss.

“Wear it. It’s even worse outside,” he stated, pointing his head to the window.

“You’ll freeze,” she tried to argue out of politeness, but she was grateful that he proposed that. She couldn’t imagine driving on that beast only in her flimsy jacket. He raised his eyebrow.

“Take it Betty. I’ll be alright.” She slowly put it on, it felt heavy and warm. She was trying not to smell it, but when he turned around to leave the room, she hid her head in her arm and inhaled. Events of last night replayed in her head again.

Betty followed him out the room and downstairs. The place stunk of cigarettes and alcohol. Some Serpents were laid out on the couches, but majority of the gang was gone. She carefully stepped over bottles and cups lying on the floor. When she was finally out of the house, she took in fresh, cold air. Jughead passed her the helmet, but she spoke before she put it on.

“You have to drop me off before we enter the Northside.” He looked at her with a knowing smile, although she could swear, there was a hint of bitterness there.

“Sure.”  He sat on his bike and started the engine. Betty made sure that her helmet was sitting right on her head and slid in behind him. Jughead didn’t need to tell her to hold onto him, she did automatically as soon as he started to take off.

It was as if she’s been driving with him forever. Why was it so easy and natural? They were from different worlds. Few days earlier Betty was shaking at the thought that she had to enter the Whyte Wyrm and ask him for help. Today she was wearing Serpent leather while holding its owner tightly over the waist as they drove on his bike. Not even having mentioned that they kissed and spent the night together.

* * *

 Jughead stopped right after the railways that divided both sides of Riverdale. The bus stop was empty, which made Betty more relaxed. They haven’t been spotted by anyone so far. He took off his helmet.

“I’ll wait with you,” he stated simply. She got off the bike and removed her helmet too, passing it to him unsurely. They were standing in silence for a few seconds, just staring at each other. It was weird to the both of them. Betty moved uncomfortably having realized something.

“Your jacket,” she said removing it quickly. He took it from her hands and tightened it around his waist.

“Your bag,” he followed and opened the trunk. She thankfully took it from his hand. Betty didn’t know how to behave around him. She wanted to embrace how weirdly comfortable he made her feel, but so far it only happened out of the pure instinct. Anytime she was thinking about it, she had to stop herself. Once again, she felt that she was conditioned not to act on her feelings. 

“Betty…” his eyes caught hers “You have to give me all information you have about Chic. Collect it. Write it down. I need to know how much is known about him before he started living with you. I need to know about his work-schedule and his friends. Anything you could give me.”

She felt that the more she gave him, the closer he would be to discovering what sparked her immediate need for help, but she was ready to bear that cross if it meant that her family would be free of Chic. Betty nodded her head. “I’ll meet with you soon and we’ll discuss it.”

Her body filled with warmth again. They would spend some time together again. Their contact after last night could be limited to phone calls or information drop-offs, but Jughead wanted to see her. Even if the main reason for said meetings was to discuss her issues, he didn’t just want to use her for information.

“I’ll try to learn something about the Lodges,” she assured him. In the distance, she could spot an approaching bus. Jughead could hear it too. He unexpectedly gave her a kiss in the corner of her mouth. It was quick and if they never touched again, she would in time start to believe that she imagined it. But as he stood there in front of her, she knew it was real. He smiled assuringly.

“Remember that I’m just a phone-call away.” With that he got on his bike and she got on the bus. She turned around to wave at him; he was waiting for her to leave safely.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seems that my schedule is really set on Fridays these days. I'm thinking of leaving it at that permanently or changing posting time to Thursdays. What do you guys think?
> 
> If we are on topic of asking questions - how are you liking direct inserts from the show?
> 
> One more thing: I was told in the comments that some of my paragraphs are too long and therefore hard to read. That was totally true, I went back and walls of text scared me lol. I edited them out and I'm paying more attention now in hopes that it doesn't happen again. Thank you so much for pointing my attention to that issue ThePersonWhoReads!
> 
> Also, shout out to all my Archie fans. I love writing him, what a great character!

Betty's attempts at getting information from Veronica were futile. Not only did she feel terrible about it, but also anytime she tried to start a conversation concerning anything Southside-related Ronnie would steer it into a completely different direction. It wasn't even that Betty was obvious about it; she couldn't be, she knew how sensitive the subject was. It was the fact that Veronica was extremely secretive about her family-life, even more so since Hiram came back.

When it was only her and her mom, she would invite Betty over quite frequently. They would stay up talking till late hours. Ronnie was never too open of a person, but at those rare times she would share her fears and worries. She would talk with Betty about her old life, the reality of it. Hiram would barely be the subject of their conversations even then. It was clear that Veronica both respected and feared him. Betty understood that the fear didn't steam from her dad being cruel to her; it was rather the weight of family business, whatever it could be, and anxiety conneted to the fact that she would disappoint him if she allowed herself to speak about it with outsiders.

Since he came back, she became even more closeted. Only Archie had the access to Ronnie's family life, to her house, her fa…Betty was struck with an idea. She had it right in front of her the entire time. Literally. Archie lived across the street, she could see his room from her bedroom window. Time was running out, she had all the information on Chic that Jughead requested and she felt that it's been too long since they were together. All she needed was something to share with him about the Lodges.

* * *

 

Archie was in the garage as she expected; he was working out when she entered. Back in the day she would gasp over the view of his topless body, but somehow it didn't make an impression on her anymore. It seemed as if years have passed since she felt in any way different than friendly towards him. He must have sensed someone's presence because he turned around only to greet her with a huge smile.

"Betty, what are you doing here?" Archie was contagiously positive, she couldn't help but smile as widely as he did.

"Oh nothing," she started "just wanted to catch-up with my best friend." Her words were accentuated by a warm smile. "We haven't had time to talk properly in forever." She moved to sit in a familiar armchair. Archie was drying himself with a towel before putting on a shirt.

"You're right," he opened the fridge to take a soda out. "Want some?" She shook her head. He clicked it open and took a sip before sitting in front of her.

"I'm sorry Betty," he started. "Everything was so crazy with football team, Ronnie, and even Mr. Lodge…I should've paid more attention to you." She didn't want him to feel guilty, she didn't come over because she felt they were growing apart. Truth be told, Betty knew that no matter the events around them, Archie would always be her friend; he would always have a special place in her heart. She was sincerely happy to see him doing well.

However, there were pressing matters that she needed to deal with. Betty suddenly felt conflicted. She couldn't bring him into it, not directly anyway, but he was her only chance at giving Chic what he deserved. She decided that if she proceeded carefully, Archie wouldn't even feel that he said something he shouldn't have. He had no reason not to trust her and she made a vow to herself that she would not tell Jughead where the information came from. If it ever came to light, which she hoped it wouldn't, the fault would never fall on him. There must have been enough people around Hiram that could say something inappropriate… or so she hoped.

"No Archie, you don't need to apologize," Betty gave him a reassuring smile. "I'm so happy that everything's falling into place for you." He seemed relieved. She leaned closer to him. "You and Veronica... who would have expected," she teased. Archie laughed and ran a hand through his hair.

"She's amazing; so sweet, and caring, and smart. It can get tough, but you know how Ronnie is." It was a confession that Betty could hold onto.

"Tough," she let out a small laugh "why?" Archie smiled, but his head hung low.

"She wants me to come over often and Mr. Lodge can be quite…"

"Scary?" He nodded his head. She looked at him with understanding in her eyes.

"Yes. I really want for Ronnie to be happy so I do what he asks, but he can be demanding sometimes and Betty, it's difficult to deal with." She knew that it wouldn't take long for Archie to open up. After all, they have always shared; since their very childhood, Betty would be the first to know about Archie's secrets, and he would be the first one to know about hers. She tried to encourage him some more.

"Demanding? Archie, are you becoming more of a fiancé than a boyfriend?" She joked, but his reaction indicated some seriousness.

"I think that Mr. Lodge is…grooming me. He wants me to run errands." He took a sip out of his drink. "Sometimes he even sends me to the Southside." That was what Betty was waiting for. She had to wage her words carefully.

"Southside doesn't seem like Mr. Lodge's type of place." What could he be possibling doing there? Testing his endurance in harsh conditions?

"He has a friend there. I never see him personally, but I deliver packages for him." The pieces started falling into place. He was doing business moves in the Southside, always a step ahead of the Serpents. He had a contact there, it shouldn't have been a surprise to her. Someone was clearly informing him of the doings of the gang, but was that person a Serpent? Her brain was working with the full force.

"Archie, you know that's not safe." Her concern for his safety wasn't the full truth. It didn't make Betty feel good. Yes, she believed that it was not a place for someone who was the walking embodiment of the Northside, a football star, and also or maybe most importantly - a boyfriend to Hiram's Lodge daughter. On the other hand, she herself intertwined ways with Serpents' leader. Why was she such a hypocrite?

"Betty, please don't worry. I actually only pass them on one of the guys from our school. I knock on the door, give him the package and leave. No-one sees us together; I'm not at risk from other Serpents. I'm just trying to make Mr. Lodge earn my trust. Ronnie means a lot to me." Betty was shocked, but also weirdly ecstatic to uncover something like this. It wasn't Hiram's exact steps, but at least now she knew why he was doing his moves so smoothly without the gang catching on. She wanted to leave instantly and share the news with Jughead, but she felt that she also owed Archie some proper friends' time. She rubbed his arm and smiled.

"I know Archie," she said "let's not talk about this. What about Mayor's Party? Are you and Veronica going to perform some musical number?" Archie eagerly indulged into a less serious conversation as Betty focused to give him her full attention.

* * *

 She called Jughead as soon as she was back in her room. After quick, emotion-filled conversation they agreed to meet in his trailer. With any other man, she would feel afraid to visit him at his house so soon, but Jughead had her in a secluded area, all on her own, and he acted more respectfully than many others that she believed to be nice guys would.

The now-known warmth filled Betty as she hung up. They were in touch throughout past days, but it was only texting. Jughead seemed as more of a doing than just theorizing type so their messaging never lasted for long, but he made it a tradition to ensure that she was safe and sound in her bed every night. It made her feel things she's never expected to experience. It wasn't that she hasn't received attention from people before; she was a commonly-liked girl with a group of trusted friends. There was just never a man around that would care for her like this.

The time that they were apart made Betty even more infatuated. She hoped it would be the other way around. That she would talk sense into herself. She tried to fight the intrusive thoughts of them together, but after countless hours of waging ins and outs, she realized that she was obsessing over something that was natural. It was her mother who didn't allow her to experience those things, out of fear that she would follow into Polly's steps. But Betty wasn't Polly and nothing good came out of her mother's restrictions.

She felt that she has already taken a step into the right direction, not because getting along with Serpents was objectively the right thing to do, but because she finally decided something for herself. If she was to regret indulging into her weakness for him, it was her price to pay.

* * *

 Betty made it into the trailer park after the sun has already set. There was little movement outside and for once she didn't feel like a complete intruder. She located his trailer and climbed the stairs slowly. She smoothed over her jacket and ponytail. Betty didn't know whether Jughead lived with his father or alone, she hoped for the latter, but just in case she made herself look as presentable as possible. It was a silly thing to do, as much as she saw of FP, she was sure that he'd not care in the slightest how she looked. She knocked on the door. Jughead opened them wide and she could instantly felt their attraction jumping between one another.

"Capuleti in Montecchi's house," he invited her inside with a smile.

Betty looked around carefully as he took her jacket. It seemed as if Jughead lived alone, for the inside of a trailer looked exactly how it would look if occupied by a bachelor. There was no sight of family regalia such as embarrassing pictures or little decorative pieces that moms loved. The kitchen seemed to go mostly unused because all she spotted were leftover takeout boxes and cereal packs. She walked into the living room that was apparently also serving as an office to Jughead.

Coffe table was overflowing with papers. The wall behind the TV was  _decorated_ with a cork board composed of the enlarged map that Betty had already seen, notes, and even pictures of various Riverdale inhabitants. Some of them she didn't recognize, but she noticed familiar faces too. Mr. Lodge was the main focus, but there was also Veronica, her mother and even… Archie. She swallowed loudly. Betty decided to not focus on that. She was glad to detect that signs of his interests peaked in this space. There was a lot of books and movies, most of them too alternative or too bloody for her, but she chuckled when her eyes landed on the full DVD collection of a popular werewolf-focused TV-show.

"You don't seem like a werewolf kind of girl," Jughead was standing in the safe distance behind her.

"I totally am a werewolf kind of girl," she smiled as she turned around to face him. He looked different today, there was a definitive edge to him. He seemed more stressed. Betty wondered whether something happened or if he was afraid to hear what she learned. Her smile faded a little bit.

"Let me give you what I have on Chic," she put her bag on the floor and started digging. Jughead approached her as she was standing up. She extended her hand but before he grabbed the papers, his fingers landed on her wrist. Anytime they touched she could feel this electricity that spread up her body and turned into the warmness in her chest. He moved slowly to take the folder away from her. He opened it and looked through the papers.

Betty was quite impressed with her work. She managed to obtain Chic's work schedule and information from his driver's license when he once left his wallet unattended. She couldn't get into his computer and phone, he protected those like a hawk, but she thought that some crucial information she had along with his behaviors and experiences that she had meticulously written down were enough for Jughead.

"Betty, that's great. Exactly what I needed," he said as he put the folder down onto the coffee table. She felt it was the time to tell him what she learned about Hiram.

"I looked around," she started unsurely "and… Mr. Lodge seems to have a friend in the Southside." Betty looked down. It clearly wasn't her fault, but she realized that this information would hit Jughead hard. She wasn't wrong, he held in his breath before speaking.

"What do you mean?" His hands were clenching into fists.

"He passes on packages to someone from neighborhood. I don't know who that person is but they go through the boy from my school. He is…" Jughead's face was completely blank "…a Serpent." He turned around suddenly as if he didn't want for Betty to see his anger. She was standing there unsurely, waiting for him to do something.

"I can't believe this," he said finally, his voice strained. His hands went through his hair when he turned back to face her. Jughead was boiling with anger. "I knew that he penetrated the Southside that unlawful, disrespectful mo…" He stopped himself for a second, trying to breath normally.

Betty was scared; she has never seen Jughead like that and now she knew why she originally felt vary around him. He didn't look like himself in that moment and she was holding in her breath trying not to anger him even more.

"Do you know what it is," he said finally, rolling the sleeve of his sweater up. Her eyes traveled from his eyes to his arm. A snake was rolling over his biceps, its fangs out. The tattoo was as unsettling as were the Serpents when you got too close. "This is family. It's trust. It's loyalty." She was thinking on what to do to calm him down because Jughead was getting more and more heated with every passing second. "We wear it with pride. We are the community, Betty and to know that one of us goes against other Serpents …"

She put her hands over his neck in a calming act. He stopped mid-sentence, his eyes searching hers.

"Jug, calm down," her voice was soothing "I know. I'm in this with you."

Betty didn't know where it was her close proximity or her words, but his face changed as he lowered his head to kiss her. It was sweet, but urgent, and conveyed something that Jughead couldn't show in any other way. She closed her arms around his neck and returned the kiss, her lips moving against his with the same urgency.

It was happening again, a natural pull they had toward each other. This time her senses were completely undiluted and she knew she wouldn't regret it after.

Suddenly, his approach changed and his arms closed around her, lifting her up. It seemed that he did instinctively and didn't know where to go from there, so as his lips were feverishly traveling over her neck, he walked to the kitchen and aggressively sat her on the counter. Betty's back hit the cabinets and she couldn't even take a breath as his mouth was on hers again, his tongue making a way into her lips.

She felt completely overpowered and at the same time with so much power. She wanted this, her body was burning to touch him.

His hands were everywhere, travelling from her neck, over the sides of her breasts and down to her waist. She lifted her legs to cross them over his back. Betty didn't even mind that she wore a skirt and their bodies were so close. She was longing for him. Jughead lifted the hem of her shirt as their lips parted and he was now looking at her, breathing heavily, asking for a silent permission. That wasn't what Betty expected, but she was in the moment, breaking the rules, doing whatever she desired. She nodded her head slightly and he took the clothing off, leaving her bare except for a thin bra.

He took her in his arms again and continued his assault, kissing and licking his way down to her breasts. Betty was panting for more; more touch, more kisses, more skin contact. She tugged at his sweater and he obediently moved his arms up so she could remove it. When she did, he got a hold of her ponytail, sliding the hair band down. Her hair spilled onto her arms and Jughead's hands landed on her neck, lifting her head up so he could kiss her jawline. He was holding onto the last threads of respect and sanity not to hurt her, not to scare her, but he couldn't contain himself. The desire was eating him alive.

They were now locked in each other's arms, their hips meeting, creating a friction that made her stifled moans louder. Betty was pulling at his hair, bringing his lips closer. She ran a tongue along them as his fingers rolled over sensitive skin leading down to her skirt. That was the only movement that made her breath catch in her throat. She has never been touched like this and especially not there.

Jughead sensed her obvious fear as he stopped the kiss. His chest was moving up and down rapidly and she didn't know whether to focus on his body or on his face.

"I will not do anything you don't want me to do," he said.

Betty was regaining her consciousness. She knew she wanted him, but this, maybe it was too soon. Jughead understood it without words. He gave her a small smile as he pulled her into a tight hug. She was caressing his back slowly. His face was between her neck and collarbone when he spoke.

"I think I'm falling for you, Betty Cooper."


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is shorter than my previous ones BUT it's just a prelude to pretty dramatic, action packed chapter that comes after. Brace yourselves ;)
> 
> Starting with chapter 5, we will be jumping between Jughead and Betty. It's so we can get deeper into both of their heads, which wouldn't happen if I only ever focused on Betty.
> 
> I also decided to create some more Serpent backstory, using tropes from the show, but turning them into something entirely new. I hope you all like it!

Jughead couldn’t bring himself back to normality.

After their encounter, and all the things that preceded it, he felt as if he wasn’t fully himself. Well, to the outside world, he must have seemed normal.

He wasn’t a closeted person, but he liked to keep the façade of sarcasm and irony to keep people at bay. Once they were in though, they were in for good.

Such was a case with Betty. He didn’t plan on liking her, he just figured that they could both benefit if they worked together. But there was something about her that enchanted him. It could be that she was not afraid to be vulnerable, yet she was not afraid to walk into literal gang location and shamelessly wait for their leader in his personal office either. Add to that the obvious warmness and likability, which she radiated, clear good-looks and Jughead was lost.

It wasn’t that it hadn’t happened before; he was a romantic at heart and had his fair share of infatuations, but this was something different. Betty was so unlike anyone else that suddenly he couldn’t fathom how he could have ever liked any other girl.

  
Either way, Jughead was aware that she was younger and probably inexperienced and, above all, that Serpents were her last resort. He decided to proceed with caution and show her the respect that he felt she deserved. But the desire took its toll on him. It showed him his own vulnerability and that evening when she visited him, he let it slip that he liked her. At worst, she could have pushed him away and walk out, at best she would reciprocate the feeling, which, to his surprise, she actually did.

Well, they didn’t live in the times when he had to court her, but it seemed that they landed in a dating relation, where he had to win her heart. It posed as both a challenge and a welcomed difference to his regular lifestyle, the one that he had to be taking care of in that very moment.

The information that he gained on Hiram wouldn’t have been half as bad if it wasn’t for the involvement of his own people. Jughead was well aware that Lodges were the threat and he wouldn’t expect anything else of them than plotting, scheming, and buying people off, but he couldn’t stomach that someone from his gang could actually take them up on the offer. He understood it, he knew that their living conditions were far from perfect. He knew that Southside was decaying and that the money, which Hiram surely offered a lot of, were tempting. But he also knew that all of the Serpents were like a family. Their relations spanned generations; his people were growing up together, and dying together. They were there for each other in the toughest of the times, and no matter arguments and misunderstandings, if someone needed help, the help would be provided.

It hurt him even more to find out that yet another thing in his life was a lie. Jughead had suffered enough of betrayal in his lifetime, he was vary of people, and yet he stupidly believed that the Serpents were different. That they couldn’t be swayed with money or empty promises and what he always cared for the most - that they valued their bond over anything else. Maybe he was simply too delusional to notice that, creating his great plans, working for the community, trying to reach the ideals that he himself created. Jughead was now starting to feel the true weight of being a leader and dealing with those who have wronged him.

He was waiting for FP to arrive to discuss all of this. He was afraid to let his father down, to tell him that the empire he used to rule was now crumbling down.

The map on the wall was staring at him, mocking him, making fun of his efforts. He was trying so hard to find things about Hiram that he never even considered that he should be looking at his own people too. It was true that the ones you trusted could hurt you the most.

His thoughts were interrupted by his father opening the door. He looked unsure, hardly a face that he wore around people, but since it was two of them he could allow for worry to creep into him.

“What is it son?” FP asked as he made his way into the living room.

“Sit down,” Jughead answered flatly. FP moved to the couch and sat down slowly. He was tense; it was visible in his body and face. Jughead hated to do it to him, but he had to. He repeated the story that Betty told him, all details included. He tried to keep a straight face, but he was as worried and as upset as his father when he finished. They sat in silence for a minute, each in their own heads.

FP was staring at his hands; it was a blow to everything that he stood for. After all, he was the one to teach Jughead about gang’s responsibility, loyalty, or trust. Whatever people were saying about FP, they could never accuse him of not caring for the Serpents. He could have sold them all when in prison and he didn’t. He could have switched sides for his own gain, but that thought never even crossed his mind.

“Are you sure?” he said finally.

He was fighting the lost fight, grasping at the delusions, hoping that Jughead would laugh and pat his back and say that he was joking. One look at his face ensured him that all of what they heard was the truth.

In all his years as the leader, he never had to face treason. It scared him that Jughead was the one to bear the weight of that.

He recalled only one such occasion before, in the times when his father was a leader, and FP was a kid himself, not older than 10. Those were different times, Serpents were thriving. Jones family was ruling the Southside with the iron hand, but they were just.

Kids were never involved in gang’s doings, not till they started high school and could make certain decisions for themselves. However, if some Serpent was to be punished, it was for everyone to see – men, women, and kids too. It was so everyone would know that the punishment was carried out accordingly to the rules and that there was no uncalled for cruelty. But above all, it was a warning for every single member of the community.

FP recalled a woman, dirty, scruffy woman, sitting on the chair in the middle of Whyte Wyrm bar. She was held in place by one of the men, while his father stood by her side, eyeing the community gathered around him. People were screaming, encouraging him to do something that FP didn’t understand. He was standing firmly by his mother’s side, more interested than scared or angry.

“Do you know why you are here?” his father spoke and everything quieted down. The woman gave him a dirty look. She shook her head. “I’m gonna tell you then,” he continued.

The anticipation could be felt in the air. He opened his swiss knife. People started shouting, anger mixed with excitement heard in their voice. FP’s father raised his hand. Everyone became quiet again.

“You betrayed us,” he spoke loudly “you disrespected everything that Serpents stand for.” The woman was breathing loudly, fear creeping onto her face.

“No, no,” she started babbling “I’d never, I never be…”

“Quiet,” his father said. He turned around to face her directly. “You know what you did and for that I’m excluding you from the gang.”

Serpents were going crazy, screaming and closing the circle. The woman was now trying to stand up, repeating the no’s over and over again, but she was held down firmly.

“Remove her jacket.” She was screaming and kicking to let her go, but the jacket was already being torn from her body. FP’s father nodded at the member that removed it. He placed it on the floor. “Do it,” he said and lighter flipped in man’s hand. He threw it onto the piece of clothing and it caught on fire.

The atmosphere was too heavy, FP felt as if he was going to suffocate in that room.

“Extend her hand,” his father ordered. Woman’s hand was extended and held in place. Tears were running down her face.

“Please don’t do it, please, please,” she was begging, trying to jerk her body away from the steel blade that was placed on her tattoo. FP’s father didn’t listen. Knife cut the skin vertically, from the top to bottom of her tattoo. She was screaming, blood flowing out of the wound and down her arm. Another diagonal cut was made. When it was finished, he released her hand.

FP didn’t know why she was excluded. He didn’t know how the story started, but he knew how it ended.

It weighted painfully on him now that Jughead would have to carry that legacy. When they would find those who betrayed the Serpents, FP would once again stand in the crowd and watch his son do it to somebody. That was a lot to handle and he knew that the business Jughead was dealing with now was nothing compared to that. 

FP knew from his own experiences that dealing drugs was not as much of a burden as hurting someone was. It would shift his son’s perception of the world and of people around him, and if he had to make that progress, and it seemed that he did, FP would do everything to make it easier for him.

“Do you have any idea who the kid is?” There were plenty of young Serpents attending Riverdale’s high, but only a few of them were on the football team. It wasn’t hard to pinpoint which one was the carrier. The catch was to find the person on the receiving end and that would be harder to do. All of the Southside boys were raised in similar fashion and if they were passing packages onto their family members, it would be hard to extract truth from them.

“No, but I will find out,” Jughead stated.

“We will find out,” FP corrected him.

It’s been some time since he made any decisions in the gang and it felt right to be involved again. He stepped down as as soon as Jughead turned 21, as was tradition, but he wouldn’t mind doing the job for a few more years. “You’ll have to bring them all in and question them.”

Jughead nodded his head, it was time to overcome his grief and get to work, bring the gang closer together by removing the leak. If they found out who was the receiver of the packages, they would possibly have the advantage over Hiram.

“Listen,” FP continued “this is a delicate matter. Boys that are involved will talk about it between themselves. We don’t want that, they might pass it on to their parents and if one of them is working for Hiram… Don’t be upfront about it. Mention the deliveries if you have to, but that’s all.”

“Listen to what the older Serpents have to say,” Jughead said “To their conversations. They trust you. If there’s more than one person involved, we need to know.” FP nodded his head in agreement. Jughead finally relaxed. He worked better if he had an objective and now his main purpose was to find out who betrayed them.

* * *

 

Betty had no idea what plans were being made across town, but she was way too invested in the story.

Maybe it was the investigative drive or maybe the care she had for Jughead, but she made a vow to observe Archie in hopes of catching him with the package.

For days there was nothing, but that night as she was standing in her window, hidden behind curtains, she noticed lights go off in his room. It was dark outside, but still fairly early so she figured that he couldn’t have gone to sleep. She waited patiently and there he was, leaving his house, closing the door behind him quietly.

As he made his steps down onto the sidewalk, he looked around to make sure that the street was empty. That’s when he reached into his jacket and took out a small rectangular package. He made sure that it was ok and slid it in again. He made his way into the garage, surely to get his bike, and it was her cue to go downstairs and retrieve her own.

Betty felt both excited and worried.She never thought that she would follow her best friend in hopes of helping a Serpent. She didn’t like the idea of going into Southside at night, especially when Jughead wasn’t around, but it was her only chance to catch the person that was receiving the packages. She quietly but quickly went downstairs and grabbed her coat.

Archie was coming out of the garage, dragging his bike behind him. She stuck close to the wall of her house for him not to see her and following him step by step, retrieved her bike. She was thankful to her past self for deciding to cycle to school in the past few days. If she had to get it from the garage, she would lose Archie from her sight.

Betty waited for him to get on and start riding down the road. She slowly followed him, keeping a safe distance, but making sure that he was always within her sight. It was especially important when they reached Southside because she didn’t know her way around it. On top of it all, she had to be vary of possible onlookers - she didn’t want any Serpent to spot her.

The streets of inner Southside seemed completely empty, which made her feel a bit more comfortable. Finally, Archie stopped. She decided to park in the alley across the street and observe him. The shadows hid her pretty well.

He was approaching one of the many doors in what seemed to be a communal house. Once again, he carefully looked around before taking the package out of his jacket. Betty held in her breath as he knocked on the doors. It seemed that minutes have passed before someone opened.

In them was standing a tall boy, surely a Serpent judging by his leather. She wasn’t sure if she remembered him from school, but she was trying to catch as many details of his face as she could to later pass information onto Jughead. Archie and he exchanged somehow polite nods and after yet another look around, he passed him the package. Boy in the doors checked to make sure that it wasn’t torn anywhere and then, without a word, closed the doors.

Adrenaline rushed through Betty’s veins; she couldn’t believe that she was one step closer to finding out who worked for Hiram. She was ready to turn around and hop on her bike when someone behind her spoke.

“Well, well, well.”

Her blood ran cold.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok guys, here's the next chapter! 
> 
> I know I promised some more action, but... I had to cut it in two smaller parts because otherwise I'd have to post a monstrosity, which wouldn't have as much impact as I wish it will! Next one is definitely more dramatic. 
> 
> I love all of your comments and a lot of you seem to be interested in Chic. I gotta say, he's more of working behind the scenes type of character here, however, once his position is revealed I think that you'll all be shocked.
> 
> I'll say it now, he's definitely not what he appears to be, but it has nothing to do with Riverdale show Chic, especially after this week's revelation. In this story, he's 100% part of Betty's family but he might or might not be involved with someone from the outside... I'm leaving you small clues, pay attention to all of the characters...

“Isn’t it Northside’s sweetheart?” Betty was facing a group of Serpents. Realization that they were guys she knew from school made her less scared, but obviously their ways have never intertwined before and she knew she was on their turf.

Truth be told, it didn’t matter if they attended the same school - until just a few weeks back Betty wouldn’t want to have anything to do with any of them.

“What are you doing here so late?” the tallest one was speaking, the rest was circling her. She was feeling extremely uncomfortable.

“Looking after your boy?” someone from the group pointed at Archie getting on his bike. Some laughs were heard, but the apparent leader cut them short.

“I’ll ask again, what are you doing here?” All of the eyes were piercing her. Betty tried to put her toughest face on.

“That’s none of your business,” she gritted through closed teeth.

The guy who was speaking with her smiled widely.

“Would you look at that? She talks back.”

Betty closed her arms tight around her chest and took a step back as he moved forward. His close proximity was starting her fight or flight response.

“Are you snooping around? Gathering information for your mommy?” That patronizing tone made her blood boil; she looked straight into his eyes.

“What if I am?” She wanted to bite her tongue as soon as she said those words. Why was she like this? Brave but stupid, was it how people called that?

The atmosphere changed around Serpents who were now out for blood. Guy lowered himself to be face to face with her. He wasn’t smiling anymore.

“Well, if you are, something needs to be done about it, right boys?” He turned around to face his friends.

“Damn straight,” one of them said as he also took a step in her direction.

Betty didn’t think, she kneeled the boy in the stomach. He folded in half and she bolted.

“Get her!” She could hear his shouts as she was running down the street.

She was thanking God himself for getting here on the bike which required sports shoes.

Betty could hear them behind her; she was hoping that there was an alley that she could get into, but she didn’t know this place and if there was a fence, she knew she wouldn’t be able to climb it.

Her own thoughts distracted her and she stumbled, almost falling to the ground. It was enough for one of the Serpents. He caught her by the waist.

“Let go off me! Let me go you…” she started screaming as he lifted her roughly and put her over his arm. Betty was fighting and kicking, giving her all, but her efforts were fruitless.

The guy laughed as he held her tight, making his way to the group.

“You are a fierce one, huh?” One of the Serpents said as they all grouped around the guy who was carrying her. She tried to kick him again.

“Take her to the leader.”

All things considered, Betty was thankful for their decision. Now that she wasn’t working on mostly adrenaline, she realized that the guys probably wouldn’t do anything else anyway but take her to Jughead.

The only things that worried her was that she would be carried into the Whyte Wyrm butt in the door for everyone to see and that she didn’t know what his actions would be. Betty knew he wouldn’t hurt her, but he had a responsibility to his people and she prayed that he’d think of something on the spot to help her.

* * *

 

 Just like Betty imagined, she was taken into the bar accompanied by whistles and laughs. Some of the Serpents looked more mad than amused. They finally put her on the floor, but she was held in place.

Everything quieted down.

“Where is he?” One of the Serpents went down to the office.

Betty was stepping from foot to foot. It was embarrassing.

“What did she do?” Someone shouted. Laughs were heard again.

She tried not to react to their teasing, but it was getting more and more irritating. What was taking him so long?

Finally, Jughead walked in. He seemed annoyed to be taken out of his business, but even his unpleasant facial expression didn’t stop her heart from fluttering.

It wasn’t until he realized that they brought in Betty, when he stopped. Everyone was waiting for his next step.

One guy from the group started talking.

“We caught her snooping around,” he seemed proud of their accomplishment. “She’s yours,” he continued, pushing her forward.

Before any of them could make a move, somebody spoke loudly.

“Isn’t she for real? That’s the girl from the party,” some woman sitting by the bar was curiously eyeing Jughead. People started whispering, realizing that she indeed was among them before.

Betty was surprised that they recognized her. She didn’t talk to anyone that night, trying to keep the low profile. She was even avoiding eye-contact and when they arrived, everyone was drunk anyway.

“That’s right, what are you going to do?” Someone else asked.

Betty wanted this show to end, why wouldn’t he take her away instantly? Jughead’s eyes caught hers – they were pleading for help.

“Take her to my office,” he said firmly and she was pushed deeper into the bar.

“Yes Jughead,  _take_  her,” someone joked and everyone laughed. He approached the man and stared him down. His head instantly went down, eyes focusing on the beer bottle in front of him.

Jughead straightened his body and looked around. One by one, people were hanging their heads low, not wishing to meet his gaze.

Betty has never seen him in full power before. Young as he was, they respected him. Maybe they even feared him? He seemed so different from the guy she knew when they were alone.

She was pushed into the office. Betty unsurely turned around to face him when he walked in seconds later.

They were just looking at each other for a second and then, instinctively, she ran into his arms. They closed around her and she finally could let out a breath. Jughead’s face landed on the top of her head and stayed there as she hugged into him tightly.

It was impossible how close to him she felt after such a short time, but she guessed that when he admitted to falling for her, she felt safer in admitting that she was falling for him too.

He planted a single kiss on her forehead.

“Betty, I can’t protect you if I’m not around. Why were you here?” Betty really wanted to answer that question because she clearly had a reason to be in the Southside, but her hormones were buzzing when he was so close.

She kissed him as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Jughead smiled. “That’s not the answer,” he said and she kissed him again. He decided to give in and put his hands on her lower back, pressing her closer.

Her hand was now firmly in his hair and she pulled them, receiving a reaction that she didn’t expect; his hips clashed into hers as he pushed her further into the room. His tongue was in her mouth and she moaned shyly as they were taking steps toward the desk.

She slid her mouth to his neck and sucked on the delicate skin, it was yet another unexpected reaction from Jughead as he lowered himself, his chin resting almost between her breasts. He was staring intensively into her eyes when his hands found the back of her thighs. She gasped as he lifted her to sit on the desk.

It was more primal and way hotter than when he would lift her by the waist and she closed her thighs around his, wanting to get closer. He was kissing her again and for the first time, Betty truly entertained the thought of sex.

Not that anyone would need to explain the obvious mechanics to her; it was just that she never really thought of doing it for real. Not because she was any different than girls her age - she thought about it, she fantasized about it even, but since there was never any boy around, she hasn’t really considered it happening.

It hasn’t been a priority in her life up until that point, but with Jughead around her sexuality seemed to flourish. Maybe all that was hidden for years started coming to the surface or maybe he was the right person to get this reaction, but anytime they were close, she wanted it more and more.

And in that very moment, he was very close, his hips moving between her legs as she was pulling his hair and scratching his back. She let herself moan into his ear as his hand squeezed the back of her neck and his lips were leaving wet kisses on her arm.

This time she wasn’t stopping herself, but banging on the door did the job for her.

Jughead jumped back and she quickly pulled her sweater in the right position, straightening it as she found her balance on the floor.

He ran a hand through his hair while making his way to the door. He straightened himself completely as he opened them.

“They are all here like you asked,” unknown male voice said and Betty focused to hear the conversation. Jughead turned around to look at her and she pretended to admire biker posters hanging on the wall. He smirked.

“Give me ten more minutes.” He closed the door.

“I think I have a newly found love for counters,” he said approaching Betty. She blushed and looked on the floor.

She wished they would continue where they left off, but it was truly getting late and she had to get back home. Jughead needed to know what she found out.

“I know who is getting the packages,” she said.

He stopped in his tracks.

“What do you mean?”

“That’s why I was here Jug. I followed Archie.” The named slipped out of her mouth before she could stop herself.

She was cursing herself; she never wanted to mention him. What made the matters worse was that her friend’s face hung proudly on Jughead’s wall. He knew who he was, but he had no idea how he was connected to all of this beyond being Veronica’s boyfriend. Now that connection would be made clear and she wasn’t happy about it.

“Archie?” He scoffed. She looked down on the floor.

“He’s my neighbor” Jughead raised an eyebrow “…and a friend.” She bit her lip and looked at him unsurely. He shook his head.

“Betty, do you think I don’t know you’re friends with him?” What? Her mouth opened a bit.

He smiled bitterly. “I knew you were friends with Veronica so it was easy to figure that you were his friend too. I just didn’t know he was the carrier.”

Now she felt guilty. It was as if she betrayed Archie and lied to Jughead, even though she gave him all information she had. She just… left the name out.

“I can’t believe I haven’t figured it was him earlier. Of course it was Archie.” He shook his head.

“Jug,” she started “I didn’t tell you the name because I didn't think it was that imporant. I… didn’t want to compromise him. He matters to me too.”

The “too” softened Jughead’s features. He understood where she was coming from, but it still stung a bit. He wished he had more of her trust, but he couldn’t be angry with her.

That was not the time to play the hurt romantic hero anyway – the news she was sharing were too exciting.

“Tell me about that boy,” he redirected the conversation to where they started.

“I don’t know his name, but he is from my school.” He looked at her with a small smile. 

“Betty, if you saw him again, would you be able to recognize him?”

He couldn’t believe that the person was given to him on the platter. Sure, they still had to track down the bigger fish, but that was a start he didn’t expect.

“I would,” she stated. The image of the young Serpent was ingrained in her head for this very occasion.

Jughead was thinking how to go about it. He couldn’t risk her straight out identifying the Serpent if he was to interview them.

The gang was vary of strangers and a stranger being the force behind someone’s expulsion would end in one of two ways: he’d have to explain himself to everyone and his position as a leader would be questioned or… they’d make her join. None of those options sounded right to him in that moment and he didn’t want to put Betty in that position.

“Jug,” she started to get him out of his head “I really need to get home.”

It gave him an idea. He closed distance between them.

“I will get you home, but I need your help first.”

She was looking at him questioningly, little smile playing on her lips.

“When we get out there I want you to identify him. You'll tell me which one was it after we leave the Whyte Wyrm.”

Betty agreed quickly.

He planted a little kiss on her forehead as he leaned in to hug her tightly. “You have no idea how much you’ve helped me today.” She was melting in his arms, smiling to herself and caressing him.

He took a step back and put on a more serious face. He was studying her face before he spoke.

“While I appreciate that help Betty, I don’t want you to ever come here alone, ok?” She nodded her head. “This place is not safe and I don’t want you to run into another group of Serpents.” That was true, he didn’t want her to be in uncomfortable position and he knew that some of the gang members were meaner than others. But he wasn’t telling the whole truth.

Most of all, Jughead wanted to protect her from getting involved with the gang. He was sure that she wouldn’t want to be a part of it and he knew that Serpents were already breathing on their backs. If they connected the dots and found that she was feeding him information, they’d make him take her in.

It wouldn’t all be bad and he had to admit that the thought of her being there with him at all times made him feel things, but he also knew that it wasn’t her place and she most likely wouldn’t enjoy the life that he lived.

“Are you ready to go?” Jughead shook his thoughts off and told her that he was. He put on his Serpent jacket and they left the office.

This time the gang wasn’t as focused on them as before, but Betty felt some burning stares on her as she walked in front of him.

She was scanning the room for the boy she saw earlier and her breath caught in her throat as she spotted him. For whatever reason, he was staring at her intensively, falling deaf to all the people that were talking to him.

He was playing with his beer bottle seemingly relaxed but his face was tense and his gaze dangerous. Did he know that she saw him earlier? Or was he simply annoyed that the stranger was among Serpents? She quickly looked down on the floor.

They made it out the bar and, of course, they approached Jughead’s bike. Weirdly enough, she wasn’t afraid of it anymore, maybe she even felt a bit excited, though she would never admit it to him.

He passed her a helmet and leaned in to quietly ask about the guy.

“He was sitting at one of the tables in the middle of the room - brown hair, blue eyes, and a grey t-shirt underneath the jacket.” Jughead didn’t say anything, but he nodded his head.

He got on the bike and then patted the place behind him. They were soon driving through the night, Betty safely cuddled to his back.

* * *

 

As before, she requested him to park in the street adjusted to where her house stood.

The feeling of uneasiness was bubbling in her stomach again. Events of the evening made her forget that she had Chic waiting at home. It was as if she was trying to erase him anytime the she closed the door behind her and she’d only get her memory back when she was close to home. She braced herself for that meeting.

Jughead got off the bike and helped her to the ground. When he removed her helmet, he noticed how uncomfortable she looked.

“Are you ok?” He was caringly petting her cheek. Betty put her hand on his and closed her eyes for a moment.

“Yes… Yes I am. It’s just…,” she swallowed slowly. She opened her eyes to see him observing her face cautiously. “What about Chic?” Jughead understood it without further explanation. Different as they were, he found them awfully similar in certain matters. He leaned really close to her face.

“I’m taking care of it. My people are observing him, but I haven’t told you anything because well…” her eyes glimmered with hope. “There’s nothing to be told yet.” She understood even though she wished it’d all move faster.

“Please, don’t worry about it. I will deal with it. Just hold tight for now.”

It was so not like him, he wasn’t too great at verbally expressing his feelings yet he wished he could say more in that moment. He wanted her to truly be sure that she was safe with him around.

Betty gave him a small kiss on the lips before she started to walk away.

“Hey!” He shouted as she was nearing her street. She turned around and raised her eyebrow. Jughead was smiling. “I’ll see you at that Mayor’s party, right?” Betty gave him her sweetest smile.

“Of course you will,” she said and went on her way.

She reached for her phone having realized that it was put on silent for the entire evening. As expected, it had missed calls and messages from both Alice and Chic. Luckily for her, they haven’t escalated into threats as was her mother’s habit anytime she couldn’t reach Betty.

She took a deep breath and opened the door, praying that they let it go and went to sleep, even though deep down she knew they were waiting for her. She quietly walked into the house and then measuring her every step, aimed for the stairs.

“Elizabeth Cooper.” Alice said in an icy tone. She was sitting on the sofa eyeing her and so was Chic with his typical unsettling smile. Betty cursed in her head and moved toward the living room.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Early update due to lack of time during the weekend. 
> 
> I'm aware that characters of Riverdale don't swear and the rating is clear indication of that.
> 
> However I decided to aim for more realism in this story and well... I'm sure that gang members definitely do swear. As such, I'm giving a general warning for swearing and mild violence.

“Please tell us where you went,” Alice started with a sour face “we were worried.” Chic was quietly observing the scene; he loved when Betty was in the spitfire.

She tried to think on the spot.

“I was with Veronica,” her tone was completely calm. She was surprised with how easy lying came to her nowadays.

Alice raised an eyebrow.

“It’s 10 pm. What could she possibly want from you in the evening during the school week?” She put emphasis on the last words.

Betty had to redirect her mother’s attention onto something and she knew that gossip would satisfy her interest.

“Relationship problems,” she said and friendly smile crossed her features.

Alice seemed surprised for a second, but she quickly composed herself. That information was something that she could use in a little one-on-one with Hermione if occasion arose.

Chic was slowly losing his composure as realization that Alice was buying what Betty told her settled in.

“Well… that doesn’t justify you going out so late, but it’s always nice to know that little Mrs. Perfect has as many issues as her parents.” She smiled warmly.

“Mom, she’s my friend.” Alice rolled her eyes. 

Betty felt bad about that lie in particular because Veronica was nothing but supportive, but it had to be done. Sometimes the lesser evil was all she could afford. 

Chic was observing his mother's face, unable to understand how she could possibly believe anything Betty said. He waged whether he should speak up or hold back for now, but as Betty smiled sweetly at him, he couldn't stop himself.

“She’s lying, mom,” he said in an annoyed tone. “She probably was out with some boy.”

Betty couldn’t believe her own ears. It wasn't enough that he was always pulling strings behind scenes, he now decided to go at full-blown war with her. She wondered how could he even figure out presence of another guy. Did he have some kind of freaky sixth sense? Her patience with him was wearing really thin.

“Shut up Chic, what would you even know about my life?”

“Betty!” Alice sounded shocked. “Don’t speak to your brother like this.”

Chic's face quickly went back to usual state of blankness as he sulked in the chair, looking down at his knees. If she gave him a few more seconds he'd probably start tearing up. He knew how to play at their mother’s emotions, but maybe he wasn’t aware yet that Betty saw right through him. She rolled her eyes.

“I’m going to bed, I have school tomorrow."

 She ran upstairs and closed her doors with a slam that made Alice jump in her seat.

* * *

 

 Jughead was ready to operate when he arrived back at the Whyte Wyrm.

He always tried to control himself with Betty around, but he was now fuming. He couldn’t believe that it was his own people who were betraying him, but that disbelief turned into real, undiluted anger when he learned who the person was exactly.

He didn’t know the kid too well, but he knew his family, and was on especially good terms with his older brother.

Truth be told, they all were invested in Serpents business, doing a lot of dirty work, and he hoped that the receiving end wouldn’t be the father – Tall Boy. It would hurt FP and a great deal of older Serpents who trusted him, often with their own lives.

He walked into the bar ready to strike.

His father was leaning by the bar, drinking and chattering, but when he saw Jughead’s face, he quickly approached him. They exchanged information and it was clear that FP had the very same thoughts about Tall Boy that his son had just minutes ago.

They agreed that the boy should be interviewed instantly and they’d go from there.

Jughead stood in the middle of the room and when he spotted the person of interest, he signaled with his eyes that the boy has to follow him into the office.

They all knew they were there for a reason anyway, so he was quick to stand up and do so.

When they were already in private, Jughead was having a hard time containing the anger boiling inside of him.

“So, Chef,” the boy started jokingly, relaxing into the chair “what’s the matter?”

Jughead gave him a nasty look as he circled the desk. He didn’t sit down. He was looking at the counter, trying to calm down his beating heart.

Finally, he looked up. He decided it’d be best to appear calm, laid-back even. That’s how most of the Serpents knew him.

Most of them had no idea how vile he could get.

His arms crossed across his chest.

“How is school’s jock team?” 

Jughead never mixed with sports people, they weren't his type. He tried joining the team once in his sophomore year, but soon found out that the only thing players talked about was lifting weights or having sex and they started looking at him like the weirdo he obviously was when they realized that he never talked about his private life and definitely didn’t talk about weights.

The question struck the boy as being out of nowhere so he brushed it off with a quiet laugh.

“It’s alright. It’s fun, yeah.” Jughead smiled at him. “We throw the ball and shit… Good way to get rid of some of that energy.”

He was now getting stressed with silence on his leader’s side and babbling uncontrollably.

“It brings us guys together.”

That was something Jughead was waiting for.

“Any friends from the Northside?”

His question made the boy swallow loudly. He looked around unsurely and then laughed quietly, clear sign of anxiety on his side as Jughead already figured out.

“Not really,” he stated after a few seconds.

“Are you sure?” Jughead knew that he was pushing him, but he still had a glimmer of hope that those who betrayed them would confess without making a show out of it and give Serpents at least a little amount of respect they deserved. But it apparently wasn’t happening and he was getting angry again.

“What about Archie?”

Boy’s face turned white. He was closing and opening his mouth, trying to find words.

“He," he swallowe rather loudly "he’s ok, but he’s not really a friend.”

Jughead rested his hands on the desk and laughed. He shook his head before lifting it and giving the young Serpent an icy look.

“Cut the bullshit,” he said “I know everything.”

The boy was looking visibly uncomfortable with his hands clutching forcefully onto chair’s arms.

“I don’t know what you are talking about,” he said finally, avoiding Jughead’s eyes.

What followed was complete and utter silence with atmosphere so thick one could suffocate.

The tension kept on rising and it was sure to swallow the boy if he didn’t speak again. He looked at his feet, almost tearing up from fear and anger. He was trying to think of a solution, but he knew the truth came out and all that was left to do was to weigh one's options.

He looked up to see Jughead staring at him with emotionless face.

"I didn’t do it willingly” he let out finally “I was… I was forced to do that. I don’t know any details, I swear.”

Jughead was surprsied to learn that it was so easy to get asnwers, but at the same time he could feel the power of Serpents and the men who came before him as leaders. He knew it was their ruling and not his own that made people afraid to lie in their faces.

It didn’t change the fact that they were betrayed but it gave him some peace of mind. Jughead knew then that this power had to be exercised more often. He couldn’t just steer from the gang and do his own business in their name. He had to show them that they were to stick together and if not…

“Tell me everything,” he ordered.

The boy shifted in his seat uncomfortably, but he did talk. His version covered with what he already knew. He was the carrier, as much as Archie. Jughead knew that there was no lie in his words, he could sense it. Still, he wasn’t given the most important information.

“Who’s receiving the packages?”

His question went unanswered and rage was rising in him. It was stronger this time, intensified by the fact that he was so close to getting to know the truth and yet he hasn’t heard it yet.

He circled the desk and stood directly in front of the young Serpent. He leaned in to him, his body obscuring boy’s view.

“Who. Is. The. Receiver?” Words came through his almost closed teeth, rightfully spiked with anger.

He felt the composure slipping, it was so unlike him. Not that he has never behaved badly, but sometimes his own anger scared him so much that he tried to steer clear of the conflict.

Boys mouth were closed shut, it seemed as if he was fighting with himself to not reveal what he knew.

Jughead was running out of patience. He decided that there was only one option to extract the truth.

He walked to the door without a word and opened them wide. Two Serpents were standing close by, making sure that no unrequired guests would get in when business was being taken care of.

Jughead turned around to look at the boy that was observing him with worried face and then he spoke loudly enough for him to hear.

“Take him out. Sit him on the chair in the middle of the room. Don’t let him run away.”

While not many Serpents watched expulsion happen live, it was dramatic enough to be passed on from fathers to sons and everyone knew what sitting in the circle formed of other gangs members meant.

“Hey, no, you don’t have to do this,” the boy was standing up from his seat, looking at Jughead with fear. “It’s alright man, we can t-talk it out,” his voice was breaking.

Jughead raised his hands to stop the Serpents from entering the room. He turned to face him

“Will you talk?” His question hung in the air, but he knew the boy wasn’t speaking. He also knew that he was protecting his father and no matter how much Jughead pushed, he wouldn’t get the answer here. The only way was to sit him there and wait for Tall Boy to react.

He waved at Serpents.

“Get him,” he said simply as they stepped into the room.

His interviewee tried to back off when they moved toward him, but he stood no chance. They quickly got him by each arm and quickly started walking to the door. He was trying to get out of the grip, putting his boots firmly into the ground to slow them, but all it resulted in was being dragged aggressively.

Jughead closed the door behind them.

Cold sweat dripped from his forehead. He felt vulnerable and extremely powerful all at the same time. It was intoxicating. It was the first time since he started ruling where he actually had to deal with his own people this way. As far as he was aware, it was the first time in years for any leader.

Realization dawned on him that his move wasn’t perfectly thought-out because once someone sat in that chair, there was no turning back. Serpents would expect justice and if he didn’t provide it, his position as the head of the gang would be shaken.

He tried to reason with himself. What that boy did was treason. Even if his father was making him, there was always the way to get out of it safely. They both could have talked to the gang instead of blindly taking the offer. Maybe they didn’t realize that Serpents would offer as much support as Hiram, even if it wasn’t financial.

He took a deep breath and walked out the door.

* * *

 

FP was reliving his childhood memory.

Even with Jughead’s words and undeniable proof that boy was the traitor, he had a little bit of hope left – hope that it wouldn’t come to this.

If he was being totally honest with himself, he would admit that what worried him was his own son, not the future of the young Serpent being sat in the chair. He’d feel it as strongly as anyone, sure. The group was tight-knit, but the reality was that Jughead had to do something cruel and terrible. He would have to bear the weight of his act later on and FP knew that his son was much more reason and intelligence than pure anger and power.

Things like this stayed with people.

Hell, FP would hardly ever allow himself the moment of weakness, especially amongst other members, yet still this act would instill some emotions in him. There was no doubt that Jughead, whose personality was so different, and who had barely a few years of experience as a leader, would take the blow even harder.

People were already forming the circle when he walked in. He could feel the curiosity and excitement and perhaps even anger, even though the fault wasn’t even announced yet.

At once, his uncertainty turned into something different. The emotions were overflowing him. He understood then without a doubt that the justice had to be served.

Young Serpent was being pinned to the chair, his eyes skipping crazily over the shouting crowd. Tall Boy was trying to reach him, but he was pushed to the back of the group. Jughead lost him from his sight as he asked the bartender to get a knife and clean it with vodka. After all it was about being fair, not about being cruel. Traitor was not to get infected, just marked.

His order was being done as he called one of the guys he trusted most, Sweet Pea, to step forward and serve as the one who would burn the jacket. He accepted it without a word, his face emotionless.

FP was standing a bit to the side, not wishing to look the poor boy in the eyes.

People were tightening the circle and getting louder.

Finally, Jughead retrieved the knife and stepped forward. Suddenly everyone got quiet. It was almost unreal how big the impact of the leader was.

There were no words, but atmosphere was heavy with expectation.

“Serpents,” he said finally “what we have here is a traitor.” People started screaming and booing. Tall Boy was pushing his way through the crowd.

Jughead looked around his people. “He sold information to Hiram Lodge.” The screamings got louder; people were now out for blood. The boy was looking down with painted expression; he was shaking his head. “For this, he’ll no longer be one of us.” 

Tall Boy finally made his way to the front.

“Don’t you fucking dare Jones,” his face was full of anger and eyes almost insane.

He took a step forward as his son was looking at him with tears welling in his eyes.

“Or what, Tall Boy?” Jughead wasn’t afraid, in fact, he felt stronger than ever. He knew Tall Boy could put him on the floor with one move, but he also knew he would fight back.

“You don’t want to find out.”

Before he could move any closer, FP was in his way. He didn’t touch him, but his gaze was the clear indication of what would transpire next if he dared step any further. Tall Boy laughed.

“What FP? Your son won’t manage without your help?”

“Don’t try to cross me,” FP said coldly, trying to keep his composure.

His opponent didn’t take it too seriously.

“Maybe you didn’t raise a leader, but a little bitch,” he growled.

Jughead’s had enough. If Tall Boy wanted to disrespect him that was fair, but disrespecting his father was another thing.

“Wage your words,” his voice was carrying a warning.

Tall Boy laughed again and turned around to look at the crowd and then back at him.

“You think you are the leader here?” His voice was full of venom. “You didn’t even know there was a leak until that little Northside bitch told you. You think I’m stupid?”

The last thing Jughead expected was to hear of Betty. It ignited something in him, first his father, now her. He realized she mattered to him as much, maybe even more in that moment. This was yet another act of disrespect that he couldn’t handle.

He bolted forward, pushing his father aside and, with full force, landed his fist on Tall Boy’s face. His head swirled to the side as blood shoot from his mouth.

FP was trying to reach his son, but he wasn’t quick enough.

“I’ll fucking kill you,” was the last thing Jughead heard before Tall Boy pushed him to the ground.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bridge chapter, a whole lotta happening. ;)

Jughead felt blood flowing from his eyebrow down the side of his face. The punch shook him and he was now regaining full consciousness.

He didn’t feel anyone above or next to him, so he figured that the blow clouded him just for a few seconds. He couldn’t allow himself to look weak in front of the gang so he opened his eyes in hopes of standing up.

His vision was jumpy, but he could make out Tall Boy being dragged back by FP and a few other Serpents. People around them were loud and the sounds were slowly coming to him.

He leaned on his arms and slowly stood up. The world around Jughead was spinning, but he tried to regain his composure.

He watched Tall Boy being sat on the chair next to his son, only that older Serpent’s hands were tied behind his back.

“Jug, are you alright?” FP’s voice came from his right.

He nodded his head. The anger he felt disappeared, but he instated started feeling sick having learned that not only were the Serpents betrayed, but also that it was apparently his fault due to being a bad leader. For a brief moment Jughead wanted to throw it all away and walk out, but he still felt that justice needed to be served to ensure at least some sort of order in the group.

When he broke out of his thoughts he realized that Serpents around him were waiting for the next step. He waved at his father to give him back the knife that slipped from his hand when he was pushed down.

The gang was closing the circle again.

Jughead put on his coldest face as he moved to face the crowd. Everyone got quiet again.

“Now that my civilized dialogue with Tall Boy is over," he gave him a patronizing look "we can continue.” His usual sarcasm showed through. Some people laughed, but they quickly composed themselves. The situation really wasn’t funny.

“Both of these men proved themselves to be unworthy of our trust,” he looked at them.

Tall Boy was smiling and shaking his head; his son was looking down, not wishing to catch anyone’s gaze.

“They lied,” Jughead continued “they went behind our backs.”

People were shouting again and nodding their heads.

“They sided with Hiram Lodge,” noise levels raised.

He turned around to look at them again.

“I expel you both from the gang.”

“Damn right,” someone shouted from the crowd.

Jughead moved closer to them, deciding that the young Serpent would be first to go. Maybe it was childish of him, but he wanted to rub it in Tall Boy’s face.

“Remove his jacket,” he ordered and it was followed quickly.

The boy tried to lunge forward as it was being taken off his arms, but he was quickly put back in place.

“Sweet Pea,” Jughead pointed to the jacket. His gang-mate obediently took the piece of clothing.

Jughead looked around at expectant faces of the Serpents. His eyes landed on FP whose expression couldn’t be read. He was standing there in flesh, looking at the whole ordeal, but his head seemed to be in a completely different place.

Sweet Pea put the jacket on the floor and flickered the lighter. Jughead nodded his head.

It was thrown centrally on the hissing snake and quickly caught on fire. The leather was real so it wouldn’t burn, but the embroidery would. The action was symbolic - removal of their badge.

The Boy was now shaking in his chair. It made Jughead realize that a lot of younger Serpents played tough instead of being tough. He knew he was like this when he was introduced to the gang. In the end, they were all teens when they started and for many it would take years to harden up.

“Extend his arm.” Young Serpent would probably try to plead if it wasn’t for the fact that his father was sitting next to him. Tall Boy’s lips were creating a thin line, but he didn’t dare speak again. He didn’t want it for his son and he wished it was already over with.

Jughead circled the knife in his hand as he looked at the Serpent tattoo. Vicious snake was rolling around a heart with their gang’s name.

He has never considered marking someone like this, but it was the necessity. People were waiting in anticipation, almost breathing on his neck.

He put the blade down on the skin and slid it down watching blood bubbling out from the wound.

FP was reliving the scene from good 30 years before. Tall Boy's son could as well be that woman and Jughead could as well be his own father. He wished that he felt the same interest as back then instead of feeling his stomach tighten. He wanted to look away, but he couldn’t. What hit him the most was his son’s triumphant face when the marking was done. He looked down on the floor, waiting for Tall Boy’s turn.

When it was all done, Jughead feel weirdly ecstatic. He always seeked justice and dealing with those who betrayed the Serpents was its purest form. He felt not only better as the leader, but closer to the community as well - he knew they shared the sentiment.

It was only when he got back to his trailer where he felt the unmistakable bitterness of shame.

His duties as the leader would scare Betty; he could just imagine her shocked face if she was to see the events of that night. He could almost smell her fear and disgust.

He didn’t doubt Serpents’ ways; they were what he was brought up with and taught to believe in. But he also knew that gang life was specific and he couldn’t expect people from the outside to understand it.

As his thoughts dwelled on the idea, shame became replaced with longing. It wasn’t logical, but he truly wished she understood. He wanted to hug into her after a long day’s work of dealing with Serpents. He wanted to hold her hand and caress her face. He wished she’d calm him down, whether it was his excitement or anger.

It was weird to feel like this about someone.

Jughead was well aware that their relationship was unorthodox. They only met because they both wanted to deal with their own problems, but one thing lead to another and he fell for her.

It was crazy. They didn’t even go on one date. They never stayed up till late and talked about their quirks and interests. He had no idea what movie she liked the most or what songs she listened to when she was upset, yet she was closer to him than anyone he has ever met.

Was it that he allowed himself to show total weakness around her? Or was it because she allowed to show hers? To Jughead, circumstances seemed more important than game of twenty-one questions. Maybe it was just meant to be.

* * *

 

Betty was getting nervous as Mayor’s party approached.

She was sure that Mr. Lodge influenced the decision of that event taking place as a move to soften things out with the Serpents. Surely he was aware by now that they were closing on him, especially with Jughead’s pursuit to expose him and ruin his plans of turning the Southside into… whatever he wanted to turn it into.

But it wasn’t Betty’s main concern. Tonight would be a clash of both sides for sure, but more than anything it would be a clash of hers and his expectations.

Jughead’s has obediently followed her requests to not get close to her family or friends so far, but she felt that he didn’t love the arrangement. After all, he wasn’t hiding her from the Serpents. Quite the opposite, he even invited her to their party. Publicity wasn’t his concern, but Betty knew that her mother would take it horribly if she just saw them together.

As her ties with Jughead were closing, she resented hiding more and more. But it had to be on her terms. She knew Alice would take it better if the two of them talked about it first.

At that very moment her mother marched into her room without knocking, interrupting Betty’s thinking.

“Elizabeth,” she was already walking around the room “what are you wearing tonight?”

It was so her style to inquire on everything, starting with fashion choices and ending on her daughter’s friends.

Betty didn’t turn around when she spoke, but she could see Alice in her dressing mirror.

“My dress is hanging in the wardrobe,” she said simply and started brushing her hair. It was a replacement activity. Her hands were occupied so she couldn’t curl them into fists when her mother annoyed her.

Alice walked into the closet and gasped audibly.

“You really want to wear that?”

The dress Betty picked seemed perfect for the occasion. It wasn’t too stiff, but it wasn’t casual either. It had a nice pale blue color that fitted her coloring.

“That’s so… boring.”

That was the last thing Betty expected to hear. Her mother was the first to criticize anything revealing or in wild colors. She liked her daughters to look immaculately neat and modest. In time, both Betty and Polly learned to like that style and actually preferred it over more outgoing choices.

“What do you mean?”

Alice walked out the closet with her hands on her hips.

“I’m sure many nice boys will be attending and they won’t pay attention to someone who looks so plain.”

Betty rolled her eyes. The only “boy” she liked didn’t mind her current clothing choices and she sure as hell didn’t mean to attract anyone else.

“Don’t roll your eyes at me,” Alice warned “let me show you something.”

She walked out the room quickly and returned after a minute with a dress that made Betty gasp. Its color she liked, a nice pale pink, but the cut. It was sleeveless and with a pretty deep cleavage. The fabric was fitted so it was sure to hug her body.

“Mom, that’s…”

“Perfect?” Alice smiled triumphantly. “Do me a favor and wear it,” she said laying it on the bed. Then she looked directly at Betty. “And put your hair down,” with that she was out the door.

* * *

 

Riverdale had only one event place, located in an old but elegant building in the downtown. It was historic and surely had its charm with swirling stairs and columns, but Betty never perceived it as posh. Well, until now at least. Hermione really took the liberty in decorating the place.

When they entered the main hall, it was already full of people, chattering and sipping from flute glasses full of sparkling champagne. Alice rolled her eyes.

“Chic, take mine and your sister’s coats please,” she ordered.

Betty felt both relieved to get rid of Chic and conscious of her looks. The dress was really well-fitted and it revealed more than she wished to show. If that wasn’t enough, Alice made her wear pretty high heels.

When Chic took their coats, her mother moved into the crowd, grabbing a glass on her way. Betty soon followed her, looking for Jughead and her friends. They spotted her before she spotted them.

“Betty?” Kevin was standing in the close distance with his mouth open and eyes widened almost comically.

She started approaching them while looking at Archie who had a similar expression on his face.

Finally, her eyes landed on Veronica who was smiling from ear to ear.

“You look…”

“Stunning,” Veronica finished for Kevin. She pulled Betty into a tight hug while men tried to contain their faces. Ronnie laughed.

“Gentlemen,” she started “a bit more refinement hasn’t killed anybody.”

Archie cleared his throat.

“You look beautiful,” he said as he also pulled her into a half-hug.

Betty blushed.

“You managed to not only enchant my man, but also the gay man,” Veronica joked.

“If I wasn’t so painfully gay…” Kevin shook his head and laughed.

“Guys, enough,” Betty was laughing too. “It’s just a dress that my mom picked.” She gave them the look.

She felt happier now, but still on edge, waiting to see Jughead. Veronica noticed her friend looking around.

“Boys, can you bring me and Betty something to drink?”

“But you haven’t even finished your…” Archie started but Veronica’s steel gaze stopped him. “Of course,” he corrected himself and dragged Kevin along with him.

“So…” she looked at Betty expectantly. “Is he here?”

Betty smiled slightly and looked at her feet before looking back at Veronica.

“Not yet,” she admitted.

The longer she waited to see him, the more stressed she got. At first it was only because she was afraid of her mother somehow finding out, but now it was intensified by the reactions that her looks received.

“I’m worried,” Betty admitted to Veronica “my mom’s here and…”

“He’s a Serpent.” She stroked her friend’s arm reassuringly. “Don’t worry,” she was looking at Betty’s face “she won’t find out tonight and remember that I have your back.”

As soon as Veronica said that, Betty spotted Jughead.

He was making his way through the crowd. Her breath caught in her throat. He was the most handsome man that she’s ever seen.

She thought that since the first time they met but now she was overwhelmed by the feeling as he was wearing a suit. It was so out of place for him yet he looked so right in it. It was black and well-fitted, accentuating his strong arms and playing along with his dark hair.

Her fears instantly disappeared as all she thought of was wrapping herself around him.

Veronica followed her gaze.

“Wow,” she whispered “I’m proud of you”.

Betty let out a small laugh.

Finally, Jughead noticed her. He stopped in his tracks. His expression was similar to that of Archie and Kevin only that it soon turned into a wide smile.

He started making his way to her and Betty was overpowered by stress again. She couldn’t just stand there and chat with him - her mother knew FP too well and she sure as hell knew Jughead.

“Veronica,” she said quietly, trying to make her mouth move as little as possible “drag me with you somewhere.”

Ronnie looked at her surprised but quickly contained herself.

“Betty,” she exclaimed loudly “I need to powder my nose.”

She took Betty’s hand and started moving in opposite direction.

When they were out of his sight Betty let out a deep breath.

“Thank you.”

“At your service,” Veronica smiled.

They were soon joined by Archie and Kevin with Ronnie being on the lookout for Jughead. Anytime he appeared in sight and noticed Betty, she would move them somewhere else as to obscure his view.

Betty felt bad for doing that to him, but it wasn’t selfishness. She just knew that Alice would tear him to shreds if she by any chance figured out that they knew each other.

Finally, mingling around came to an end as Hiram was called onto the stage by the Mayor.

People were clapping, well, Northside people anyway. Serpents were eyeing him with suspicion. Hermione was right behind him, giving her magazine cover white smile.

He shook Sierra’s McCoy’s hand and took the microphone from her.

“I’m so happy to see all of you here,” Hiram started “it’s truly incredible to be back to my roots in Riverdale.”

Some people clapped again. He gave them a gracious smile.

“I don’t intend to leave,” this statement received some eye-rolling and smirks from Serpents. “I want for our town to have the future it deserves,” he looked around the crowd “and this can’t happen without collective work of us and our brothers from the Southside.”

Betty noticed Jughead tucked safely in the corner of the room. He noticed her too. She didn’t want to risk him approaching her, but she knew that he wouldn’t leave the speech either. She decided it’d be the safest to visit the lady’s room upstairs.

Since he was standing close to one set of the stairs, she decided to use the other one.

“We are one; we are the community with shared goals…” Hiram’s voice was echoing off the walls as Betty quickly made her way upstairs. She was looking down through the columns while walking down the hall. When she turned her head to look straight, she saw Jughead standing right in front of her.

Betty stopped unsure of what to do, but he was quick as he closed their distance with few steps and pushed her back to the column.

She gasped. God if someone walked in on them now.

One of his hands rested on the marble surface by her head; the other was placed securely on her hip. He was looking into her eyes.

“Betty Cooper,” his voice was hoarse “are you avoiding me?” As usual when he was so close, her composure and common sense were completely lost.

“No,” her voice was shaky “my mom is…”

He unexpectedly pressed his lips on hers with a force she hadn’t expected from him as he closed his arms around her. Betty instantly moaned against his mouth and his hand moved to her butt cheek. She could feel herself getting wet already.

His head moved few inches away from her.

“She’s…?” Betty couldn’t think, she wasn’t capable of making a coherent sentence. He nudged her nose with his own, his breath hot on her lips.

“She’s here,” she managed to say finally.

Jughead laughed quietly.

He kissed her again, deeper this time. She slid her hands into his hair, pulling on the dark locks as his lips moved in union with hers.

His hands were both squeezing on her butt cheeks, making her moan, the sound drowning in echoes of the speech downstairs.

Betty could feel his thigh between her legs; she almost wanted to grind on it.

He broke the kiss to leave smooches on her chin and underneath it and when he reached her neck, he lifted her slightly so her thighs were encompassing him. She wasn’t fully in the air; her back resting against the column and her legs intertwining with Jughead’s. His hardness came into prominence in this position, which made Betty painfully aware that she wanted to do it with him. She really did.

At first it was the thought that she rejected because she wasn’t the type of girl to give it away to a stranger, but with each encounter the possibility was becoming more and more tempting.

Jughead was sliding his mouth down to her collarbone and she was burning to get more. Betty moaned as his tongue ran across sensitive skin and she pulled his head up.

He looked at her surprised for a second before went in for the kiss once again. She was unable to stop it.

“Jug,” she mumbled into his mouth.

His lust was overpowering him.

“Jug,” she said again as her hands rested on his face and she pushed his head back.

He was searching her eyes.

“God, I’m so sorry Betty,” he said with thick voice “I really shouldn’t…”

She shook her head as she placed a small kiss on her lips. He looked positively lost.

“Do you want to take me to your trailer?” Jughead took a deep breath before he smiled.

“Do you really want to?” His voice was full of excitement. Betty quickly nodded her head. They agreed to meet outside, because he understood that they couldn’t be seen together.

As Betty was strolling down the stairs she thought that maybe fear would overcome her and she’d decide to not go through with this. But nothing like that happened, she was firm in her decision and frankly - she felt excited.

She recalled Alice always emphasizing how important it was to “give oneself” to the right man and she knew that Jughead would by no means be the right person in her mother's eyes, but he surely was right in hers.

Betty decided to skip the jacket altogether as it’d require finding Chic, which she wouldn’t want to do even under normal circumstances.

She exited the hall, looking around the street. Jughead was there, leaning on his bike, smiling widely.

“Get on Juliet,” he said handing her the helmet.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm glad that so many people are enjoying this story and taking time out of their lives to kudo, favorite, and comment. This means the world to me and I'm overwhelmed with the response this story gets. 
> 
> I know I kept you hanging last week, I hope I lived up to the expectations.
> 
> Also...
> 
> You know what's even better than this chapter? Chic revelation in the next one ;)

 

 Jughead let her walk in first.

Betty didn't wait for him to make a move; she kicked her heels off and pulled him into a kiss. His surprised expression turned into a blissful one as he returned it.

For the first time in her life she felt so right. Electricity was hanging between them, coming in full force anywhere their bodies touched.

Betty pulled down his jacket as he started walking her down to his bedroom. His hands were travelling up and down her back.

The lights were off, but street lanterns shone through the window, illuminating different parts of their bodies as they moved towards the bed.

Her legs hit its frame and she was ready to fall down, being in her hazy heated state, but Jughead tightened his grip to keep her on her feet.

He removed himself from the kiss and rested his hands on her arms. They slowly started moving down to her breasts. His eyes were focused on her as she was trying to keep her shaking at bay.

She could feel the strength of his hands skimming her body, going lower to her stomach and around her waist. Her neck arched back as he squeezed her hips. She involuntarily moved closer to him when his hands moved up her back.

Their faces were inches away and they never broke eye contact, not when he unzipped her dress and pulled it down her body and not when she pulled him down on the bed.

Their bodies were fitting together well as they lied facing each other, Betty's hip hooked over Jughead's.

She didn't feel ashamed of being almost naked when he was kissing her lips and ears and jaw. Betty allowed herself to moan freely anytime her body jerked under his touch. Jughead was getting more and more heated, gripping her harder and sliding one of his hands under her waist to pull her closer.

The layers that he had on him started to annoy her and she tried to unbutton his shirt in between kisses. Her hands were too shaky to do so which resulted in soft chuckles on his side. She laughed too as she playfully hit his chest and allowed him to do it by himself. As soon as he did, she pulled him on top of her and started caressing his back.

Betty was surprised of how soft it felt underneath her fingers.

He was breathing heavily in her mouth, trying to contain the urge to remove her panties there and then.

Jughead rested himself on one of his arms with his hand tracing a line from Betty's lip down to her cleavage. She gasped when he leaned to place a wet kiss there. Her hands climbed to his hair as his mouth moved across her thin bra. She was unconsciously lifting her back off the bed, trying to get closer to him.

The wetness in her underwear was now undeniable and it seemed to only intensify with him unclasping the bra to get in contact with her naked skin. Betty moaned and pulled his hair, her hips jerking to meet his.

She had touched herself in the past but her attention was never really focused on her breasts. The feeling was entirely new and it was almost insane to feel a tongue there.

She was getting disconnected from any limits she thought were ingrained in her.

She pushed Jughead back on his side and took control, kissing him deeply while holding his face. His hand tangled in her hair, pulling them slightly and she moaned again, rubbing her hips against his. His other hand slid down her body to her hip and then to her hip bone. His thumb was circling it before slowly sliding on the inside of her thigh.

Betty shivered and opened her eyes to see him looking at her with a lustful gaze. He seemed determined to follow through and she encouraged him by slowly moving her hips. Their eyes were still locked as his hand rested between her legs, fingers skimming over the center of her panties. She couldn't keep them open anymore as he started working on her most sensitive part.

The heat that she felt there was now spreading down her thighs and up her belly. He buried his face in her neck as his whole hand held her, rubbed her up and down slowly. One of his fingers hooked under the band of her underwear and she nodded her head quickly without opening her eyes. Jughead slid the panties down her legs and he was there again, teasing and touching.

Betty was melting, the feeling familiar, but somehow different. It felt different when someone else was doing it to you and she basked in the feeling for a brief moment before realizing that he was still wearing pants and she wanted to touch him too.

She tried to navigate the unbuttoning and unzipping but it was hard to focus. Her hands felt almost powerless, all of the sensation gathered in between her legs.

Betty finally managed to slide his trousers down and her hand rested on the hardness in his boxers.

While she understood some of her reactions and knew her body as far as masturbation went, this was something completely foreign. She had no idea what to do so she allowed for her instincts to take over.

Her hand was caressing him through the fabric and Jughead's breathing started catching in his throat. He kissed her and she moaned loudly because the feelings were now overbearing with skin touching and tongues meeting.

Betty moved her hand under the band of his boxers and her fingers met with something both hard and soft, fascinating and intense. It felt utterly erotic to hold him in her hands and she started moving up and down. His fervent kisses told her it was a right thing to do.

Jughead entered her with one finger as she tightened her grip on him and she started feeling something primal. Somehow it wasn't enough anymore, she wanted more. She needed more.

Their lips parted.

"I want you," she whispered urgently "I want all of you."

He slowly stopped his movements and for a split second Betty was afraid that he'd stop it altogether. Instead he gave her a small kiss and lifted himself to sit on the edge of the bed.

The air between them was hot and she felt her skin covered in thin layer of sweat.

He opened his bedstand's drawer and pulled a pack of condoms. Betty started feeling the reality of what was about to happen and her whole body pulsed in anticipation. Jughead removed the remaining pieces of clothing he had and tore the little packet apart.

She caressed his back.

Time seemed to slow down as he lied next to her. He was grazing her arms as he found his place between her legs. They were both breathing heavily and for the first time during that night, Betty felt a string of fear.

Jughead seemed aware of that as he started planting little kisses all over his face. It was tender and she knew that he felt for her and her feelings. Her body started relaxing under his touch and weight.

Jughead reached down between them and she could feel the push as he entered her.

The pain overcame her. It was radiating from her inside, making everything around ache. She bit her lips to contain the moan of displeasure.

"Are you ok?"

His voice came to her as pain slowly started to disappear.

Betty opened her eyes. He was caressing her hair and looking at her with concern but she could feel the trembling in his body. She nodded her head and gave him a small smile. He returned it and started moving slowly, each thrust making her more accustomed to him.

The feeling of him was strange but pleasurable, filling her, making her shiver. The heavy lust returned and she wrapped her arms around him as his wrapped around her. Their bodies were sliding off each other, finding the right rhythm.

Betty felt jolts of pleasure anytime he was going in and in time she started returning the movements of his hips with her own. He gasped and his lips landed on hers but they weren't capable of a proper kiss with fervent moves and loud breathing. Betty was moaning in his mouth as she felt the friction between her legs getting more prominent.

His moves were deep and dominant, their hips meeting for a longer while before parting. It was making Betty crazy.

The build-up was getting bigger, spreading throughout her body. She could feel the tingling in her limbs. Her hands ran down his back and stopped at his butt-cheeks. Betty squeezed them lightly and Jughead moved harder, his breathing rapid. She held him in place. His hips started moving in round motions, making Betty moan louder and louder. She dragged her hands down, scratching him in the process and with that he moved deeply, tipping her over the edge.

The pleasure spread throughout her body, making her back arch and toes curl. She didn't control the noises she made and they were louder than the thin walls allowed for. As she descended from her orgasm, Jughead was reaching his. She was observing him from beyond her half-closed eyes. He was grabbing on her body as his own spasmed and his face painted in deep pleasure.

Jughead gave her a long kiss on the mouth and slowly get off her. He sat down and quickly removed the condom. Betty wrapped herself in the sheet.

He got back on the bed and lied down close to her. He was staring at the ceiling and smiling.

Betty laughed softly.

"Contemplating?" She asked, resting hear head on her hand.

He nodded.

"I don't know if I'll ever live something so good again so I need to bask in this while I can," he turned his face to look at her.

His smile widened as her face blushed.

"Well," she said "I think I need to powder my nose."

He laughed loudly.

Betty got off the bed, sheet held her tightly around her body. She didn't feel shame, but wrapping oneself seemed like a natural thing to do. She surely wasn't used to walking around naked.

As her body moved she could feel the slight aching in-between her legs. She guessed it was to be expected.

The room was dark and she stumbled over his shoe lying on the floor. Jughead quickly lifted himself to turn on the bed lamp. Betty shook her head with a smile.

"The bathroom is..." she pointed to the doors across from the bed.

"Yes," he said standing up "wait." 

He quickly moved to the dresser.

Betty admired his naked body. He was slim, but definitely well-built, with muscles visible on… well, anywhere she looked. She couldn't help but to go back to what they did just a few moments ago. He put on a fresh pair of boxers and handed her a T-shirt.

"There are fresh towels in the bathroom."

He gave her a small kiss on the mouth and then turned around to walk out the room.

Betty planned to hop a shower as soon as she closed the door behind her but something pushed her to undress and watch herself in a mirror.

Her skin was blushed and some random marks were spread on her hips and thighs - the imprints that he left on her. She straightened herself and observed her face. Betty had to admit that she looked good. Of course single sexual intercourse couldn't have changed her dramatically but somehow she felt more like a woman than like a girl. She smiled to herself.

* * *

 

After throughout cleaning and getting dressed in a T-shirt that smelled pleasantly like him she went to the living area.

Her jacket and bag were laid on the kitchen counter and she could feel unease building in her stomach as she reached for her phone. Of course Alice was texting her over and over and called too. Betty shook the feeling of dread that she had.

There was no way she would be getting home then and frankly, she shouldn't have to explain herself to her mother all the time. She was realizing that as an adult she could stay out if she wanted. Out of respect for Alice's heart though, Betty decided to lie again, knowing that Veronica would cover for her.

Jughead scanned her face as she was reading the texts on her phone. She lifted her eyes to look at him spread on the couch and smiled, signing that she needed to call.

Betty went to the bedroom and closed the door behind her. She dialed her mother waited for an answer. It came quickly. 

"Elizabeth Cooper," Alice's voice was cold but Betty could hear some relief too. "Where the hell are you?"

She swallowed slowly before speaking.

"I'm at Veronica's, mom. Don't worry."

Alice sighed loudly.

"At the Lodges again? Why didn't you tell me you were leaving the party?"

"I couldn't find you."

Lying was coming so easy to Betty lately. The secret relationship she navigated made her great at concealing the truth.

"That's not an excuse. Me and Chic were worried about you."

She rolled her eyes. If Chic was worried it was only because he couldn't control every little thing in her life

"I'm sorry, but everyone gathered so quickly and I forgot to call you. I'm staying the night here."

Alice took a deep breath before speaking.

"What do you mean everyone Betty? Boys too? God, I knew Hermione hasn't changed since her teenager years, but I thought that Hiram talked some sense into…"

"Mom," Betty was done with explaining everything and her tone was becoming pointed. "Archie and Kevin were here, but now they're gone. It's just me and Veronica."

Silence followed her words.

"I'm sorry about not calling but I'm fine and I'll be back tomorrow as soon as I wake up."

"Don't think we won't talk about it when you get home Betty," Alice finished and disconnected the call.

She put the phone on the bed and realized that it was made when she was showering. Betty looked around and noticed that Jughead folded her clothes and put it on the chair along with her shoes. She smiled to herself. No matter Alice, her good feelings were returning.

She went back to the living room and smiled shyly as Jughead patted the place next to him on the couch. Betty sat down and he instantly put his arm around her. She hugged into him.

She was feeling relaxed and weirdly in her place at that moment. His trailer was nothing like her house and, truth be told, Betty never anticipated being in one. Her mother always despised Southside trailer park and if she made any personal mentions about her past, it was always to bash the living conditions. Alice definitely felt proud to achieve what she had and to be able to live in a big family house in the Northside.

Still, Jughead's smell, comfortable old couch, TV flickering in front of them and dim light coming from the window behind them made her feel truly home.

He mindlessly played with her hair as he stared at the screen.

"Are you alright?"

He was looking at the top of her head now. She lifted it to meet his eyes. A small smile was playing on his face, Jughead finally seemed fully relaxed too.

"I'm perfectly fine," she answered and her eyes traced to the screen. "What is this? A horror night?"

He nodded his head.

"Not quite as sophisticated as Tarantino's movies, but it has accurate amount of blood," he pointed his head to especially gorey scene playing out in front of them.

She laughed.

Jughead hugged her tightly as they both focused on the movie.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THE CHIC REVELATION IS HERE Y'ALL
> 
> What do you think? Did you expect that? Let me know!

Betty woke up to sun shining strongly on her face. She rubbed her eyes and turned around to see Jughead sleeping calmly on his side. She smiled as she replayed events of the night before.

After everything that transpired, they ended up relaxing on the couch, watching movies and chatting. At last they were able to share some more down to earth things.

Betty felt that she knew Jughead before that, mostly due to strange circumstances of their relationship coming to be, but it was nice to get to know some of his interests and opinions. Sure, they were way more grimmer than hers and at times it also seemed that they were way more sophisticated.

He had extensive knowledge of things she never even considered before and as it turned out, he attended college after graduating. It was clear that he was smart, probably smarter than most people she knew, but Betty figured that no-one left Riverdale and if they did, they never came back.

Well, he studied not far from home, but it surprised her that he’d return to take over the Serpents. It seemed so strange to be as young as he was with his 23 birthday around the corner, yet to both educate oneself and to become a leader of the gang.

He looked so young and calm in his sleep, the reality of his day-to-day life was both baffling and fascinating to her.

She slowly stood up from the bed and could feel the pain spreading down her body. It was bearable the day before but then in the morning it came with the full force. Betty surely didn’t regret their night together, but if she did, the pain would make it even worse.

As she stretched herself to ease the pain, Jughead turned in bed.

She put on clothes and a small smile crossed her face as she remembered what effect it had on basically everyone the day before.

She went to the bathroom and brushed through her hair with her fingers before brushing her teeth using her finger as well.

Betty came back to the bedroom and delicately started to wake up Jughead. She felt bad about it, but she wanted to ask him if he could drive her home. Considering what happened last time she walked those streets alone, it seemed like the smartest option and well... she didn’t want to leave without saying goodbye.

He slowly opened his eyes and smiled blissfully when he saw her. She caressed his face and he planted a small kiss on her hand.

“Hello beautiful,” he said and instantly snorted. Not because Betty wasn’t beautiful but because it was such a cringey thing to say and he even didn’t think when it left his mouth. She laughed too.

“Jug, I need to get home,” she started.

He sat up and stretched his arms.

“Of course, you need to get back to your castle before the storm starts to rage.”

Betty knew he was implying her mother and she nodded her head.

“Can you drive me?”

He smiled.

“I always knew you secretly loved my bike.”

Betty laughed again. She actually didn’t mind it anymore.

She made sure she had her bag with all its contents before leaving. Jughead was already outside, getting his motorcycle ready.

When she went out, the sun blinded her momentarily. She stepped down the steep stairs, trying to keep her balance in the heels that felt way out of place.

Betty noticed some Serpents outside their trailers, mostly going about their business, but some of them giving her looks. She put her head down and walked to Jughead.

Before she could open her mouth, he pulled her into a kiss. Betty could feel the warmth spreading throughout her body, but it was gone before she could fully succumb to it.

“I know I won’t be able to do it later,” he said simply and put the helmet on her head.

* * *

 

Betty wasn't afraid to face her mother. Not anymore. She felt happy, free, and finally true to herself. Nothing could hold her down.

She removed her heels and jacket and moved to the stairs. As she was approaching them, Alice came out of the room.

“Just in time for breakfast” her tone was pointed “change your clothes before you sit with us.”

Her eyes travelled up and down Betty's body and she frowned before turning around and leaving. It was as if she was angry at her daughter for wearing something so revealing when it was her who pushed Betty to put it on in the first place.

She climbed upstairs to her room and changed quickly, going down with uneasiness setting in her stomach once again.

When she made it to the table, Chic was already seated, looking at her with his poker face. Nothing new. She rolled her eyes and sat down. It was silent till Alice made it into the room.

She sat down and patted Chic’s hand with warm smile on her face before putting some pancakes on his plate. Then she poured him and herself some coffee.

“So,” she said finally “did you have fun last night?”

She sounded nice, but Betty knew her mother was not happy.

“It was fine,” she stated flatly and poured herself some juice.

“Oh I’m sure it was, Betty. It’s always fun to just disappear on your mother and not say a word.”

Alice took a sip out of her cup. Betty put a pancake on her plate. She tried to keep her hands occupied.

“I explained it to you last night,” she said finally before lifting her head to meet her mother's eyes. “I’m not a child anymore mom.”

Her tone was getting more firm. Alice seemed shocked. Chic was looking at Betty with aggressiveness in his eyes that she maybe saw there once or twice before.

“Excuse me? You’re living under my roof; you don’t think that constitutes some respect?”

“Maybe she’s looking for another roof to live under,” Chic said as he swirled his pancake around the plate.

Betty took in a deep breath. What was that?

Alice turned to him with her eyes opened wide.

“What do you mean?”

Chic’s monotonous voice was turning into something meaner and meaner with every word he said next.

“I saw her kissing a guy last night,” he looked at his mother’s utterly shocked face “and I’m sure she left with him.”

He took a bite out of his food.

All color drained from Betty’s face. God, she knew it was crazy to make out there in the open. Why wasn’t she more careful? She couldn’t believe Chic just said that. How could he? Who did he think he was?

“Elizabeth?”

Her mother hands were shaky as she put them down on the table.

“What is your brother talking about?”

Betty was completely quiet, words stuck in her throat. How could she explain it?

“Yes Betty,” Chic put emphasis on her name “What am I talking about?”

Smile was creeping across his face.

“I…” she looked down on the table “I’m seeing someone.”

Alice took a deep, deep breath. Chic laughed quietly.

“Someone…”

Both of them turned their heads to him. Betty found it hard to breath. Chic looked at his mother.

“He’s a Serpent. Jughead Jones.”

When the name left his mouth, she felt sickness going up her throat. Alice was not moving, her mouth open. Chic caressed her hand delicately.

“I’m sorry mom,” he said in a caring tone. “I just can’t stand when she lies to you.”

Betty was getting extremely angry. If she had it in herself, she would spike his hand with a fork.

“I’m disrespecting someone Chic?”

He lifted his head surprised.

“I’m lying?” Her voice was getting louder and louder. “I’m not the one lying by omitting to mention that I’m taking drugs and that I’m not paying for them so the dealer comes into our house,” they were both staring at her now “and I’m not disrespecting mom by making her clean after you murdered him.”

She spitted last words with disgust.

“Betty!”

Alice was shaking.

Betty didn’t even feel guilty about saying those things. That was the biggest family secret that Coopers had, well, that the three of them had and she knew that it instilled fear in both of them to speak about it. It instilled fear in Betty as well, but she couldn’t contain herself any longer.

She couldn’t believe that she and Alice allowed for it to happen by letting Chic stay here. And she couldn’t fathom how she could protect him after all of that.

Well, she knew why. He made her involved so she couldn’t say a word and, what made Betty feel even more sick, Alice wouldn’t say anything anyway. It was the last straw that pushed Betty to seek Serpents help and she wished she had told that to Jughead earlier, so she wouldn’t have to explain this mess to him now that his mother and Chic learned about him.

She stood up from the table.

“As for Jughead, mom,” she said “he’s the only person who I can trust and like it or not... he’s actually more respectful than Chic.”

Betty ran upstairs and she could hear her brother following her.

“Leave me alone,” she shouted before closing her doors, but he was faster.

He made his way into the room and Betty gasped. She had enough of this crazy family situation.

“You can trust him?” She saw Chic so mad for the first time in her life. “I thought you were more like me Betty, but it seems that you are like your father... Oblivious.”

She was taken aback, slowly moving to the wall as he started approaching her.

“What are you talking about?” Her voice was trembling.

Chic shook his head and smiled.

“You don’t think I know you ran to him a few weeks back?”

She opened her eyes wide. How could he possibly know that? She was pushing the idea of how he came to know this information into the darkest corner of herself.

“I pushed you there Betty because he wanted me to push you.”

Air left her lungs and she felt her mind detaching from her body. No. This wasn’t possible.

“Stop messing with me,” she let out “This is another one of your stupid mind games.”

Chic laughed.

“Oh sister,” he caressed her face and she trembled “my little silly sister.”

Betty was refusing to believe any of this. She refused to listen, but he was so close she couldn’t possibly tune him out.

“Where did you find me Betty, remember? That awful motel, do you remember where it was?”

She didn’t want to acknowledge that but Southside popper into her mind. She closed her eyes.

“Where do you think I’ve been all my life? Do you think I conveniently came back to Riverdale for you and mom to find me?”

His voice got more serious.

“I never left.”

He moved away from her and she forced herself to open her eyes. He turned around and Betty’s eyes followed him in trance.

Chic slowly lifted his T-shirt over his head. Her head was spinning. Snake tattoo was curling around his blade.

She couldn’t move a limb.

Chic pulled the T-shirt down and turned around to face her.

“I owed him one.”

She tried to piece the puzzles together but couldn’t. It was too absurd to believe.

He was calmed down as he sat on the bed.

“Do you think I like scaring you? He asked me to do that. He wanted you to come to him and it worked.”

Betty was trying to calm her breathing. Her world was literally crumbling around her, but she really didn’t want to show that weakness in front of her brother. Not then, not ever.

She lifted her head.

“Why? Why would he do that?”

Chic was looking outside the window. His tone was as monotonous as always.

“Jughead figured your connection to the Lodges... When he found out that I reconnected with my family, he asked me to push you so you visit him.” He laughed to himself. “That guy has brains. He knew he couldn’t approach you out of nowhere, but if you asked him for help…” Chic shook his head. “Serpents don’t care for anyone but their own. And they definitely don’t care for some Northside’s girl. He’s using you.”

“You’re one of them.”

“It was only for my benefit at the time. Me and mom left Southside behind us. You should too.”

She was observing his face, not being able to comprehend all the things that she just heard.

“Just look at us,” he gave her first sincere smile “we are together. You, me, mom. We are family.”

Betty swallowed loudly.

“If he used me, you used me as much. We might be related but you are more his family than mine.”

Anger flickered in his eyes again.

“No Betty. I had a debt to pay. I thought that he’d only use the information you have and leave you alone. But when I realized that he was getting too close to you, I spoke up.”

He was looking at his hands.

No matter how incredibly hurt she felt in that moment, she just couldn’t believe Chic’s twisted thinking. She felt absolutely disgusted. Even if Chic was telling the truth, he still was crazy. There was no way around it. He didn’t think like a normal person. Who would ever do that to someone?

He patted her arm as he stood up to leave. Betty closed the door tightly behind him and lied flat on her bed. She was staring at the ceiling, not being able to form a coherent thought.

* * *

 

Across town, Jughead was thinking of last night. He couldn’t believe his own luck. She wanted him as much as he wanted her. She wanted to be with him. She even obeyed her mother to stay and while he understood it would bring her some troubles, he was proud of Betty for standing up for herself.

It truly was a weird world they lived in. Jughead never expected that. They were only supposed to help each other. Well, she helped him more than he’d help her, but it didn’t really matter anymore. They were together and he needed her more than he has ever needed her help.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promised I would be back :)
> 
> I'm finally done with my uni business and can get back to posting regularly. I hope that some of my readers are still out there and I hope that you will enjoy my work as much as you did before my hiatus. 
> 
> The one question I have is what posting schedule would work for you guys? I used to post on Fridays in the late afternoon cause I figured that people who still go to school would be able to read updates during the weekend. I know that school week can get pretty busy. However, now it's summer so I might change my posting schedule to anything my readers want. Just let me know.

Betty didn’t know for how long she’s been laying curled on her bed.

Her phone buzzed a few times in the past hours but she didn’t feel like lifting herself to see the messages. All she did was trying to figure out how she could be so clueless. Clearly, all that happened in the past few weeks was too good to be true.

Things were moving fast and she fought with herself to not give in into her feelings; she really did. But it was only so long that one could keep up a facade. She finally allowed herself to be with him and, well, it turned out that her instincts were right all along.

Why on Earth did she think that she was anything more than a paw in Jughead’s plan to get Hiram? No-one in their sane mind would trust a Serpent. There was a reason for their reputation. Betty only wanted to see the best in people, but in the process ignored the signs that were so clear. 

Jughead was quick to offer his help because he knew that she never was in danger. He’d virtually have to do nothing and she’d do everything for him in return. And she did.

She went against her family, lied to her mother, and used her closest friends to help him. All that while he was just manipulating her. He seduced her to make sure that she’d follow through with her promises.

The scariest thing was that Chic was onto it. He was living with her, scaring her more and more to help the Serpents’ leader. He made her feel endangered just so she would run straight into claws of another insane person.

How vile could people get? Did Jughead and Chic have no remorse?

Betty felt shattered to million tiny pieces. She could trust no-one and now no-one could trust her. She went against people that she once held so close to her heart.

Her sadness started turning into anger. Maybe she had to deal with two snakes at once, but neither of them would ever play her again. She would not be swayed and she would not forgive.

Betty wiped the wetness from her eyes and sat up. She reached for her phone and it lit up with a few unread messages from Jughead.

“Will the princess be locked in her castle forever now?”

The first one was sent soon after he dropped her off.

“Maybe she took your phone away? Mrs. Cooper, I promise this is not what it seems.”

Another one was sent when she was arguing with her family over the kitchen table.

“I don’t want to sound like a crazy boyfriend but I’m worried Betty. I hope last night didn’t give you much trouble.”

It was from when she was already lying down after Chic’s revelation. And it was followed with yet another one.

“Just let me know that you’re ok and I promise to stop texting.”

Betty shook her head. Just a day before those messages would both make her laugh and feel all warm inside. Now they felt wrong. He was just like Chic, controlling her so everything goes according to plan.

She heard a soft knock on the door. She put the phone down on the night stand.

“Come in.”

Alice’s head bopped in. She slowly opened the door and walked inside.

Her eyes were red and Betty knew that she was crying. Her mom was usually unbothered by most dramatic events. Or she just pretend to be. Now she seemed extremely vulnerable. 

She slowly sat on the bed and took Betty’s hand in hers as she started to speak.

“I’m sorry,” her voice was breaking “All of this is my fault.”

It wasn’t what Betty expected to hear. She held her mom’s hand tighter.

“I thought that I was helping you by putting on all those restrictions but it made you go to... to those snakes.”

“Mom…”

“No Betty,” Alice interrupted her. “When I found out that Polly was pregnant,” she took a deep breath “I promised myself that I would protect you. I only wanted the best for you.”

She raised her other hand to caress Betty’s cheek and smiled lightly.

“You are so smart and beautiful. You deserve so much. I hated the thought of you following into your sister’s steps.”

Betty nodded her head with her eyes tearing up slightly.

“Polly made it work for herself. She’s raising my grandchildren away from me because I pushed her away. I don’t want you to leave me because I was too hard on you.”

Alice wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and laughed quietly.

“I guess you’re all grown-up now and you can make decisions for yourself. You know that me and Serpents don’t come along, but if you really like Jughead…”

Betty quickly shook her head.

“You were right mom.”

Alice was looking at her attentively.

“There’s nothing for me in the Southside."

Her mother pulled her into a tight hug.

Betty was overcome with emotions. She didn’t know whether Alice would follow up on her promise, but she truly appreciated the gesture.

Alice let go off her and stood up.

“And Betty, please, don’t be so hard on Chic. I know that he’s different, but I already made one too many mistake by giving him away. We finally reconnected and I wish that we can all respect one another.”

Well, if Betty had her way she would kick Chic out after everything that she recently learned. However she knew how important he was for Alice. She decided to let it go for the time being.

“Ok. Enough with the sobby talk. Do you want to go shopping?"

Alice smiled. Betty laughed and nodded her head.

* * *

 

Jughead had a feeling that something was wrong. The joy that he felt just few hours earlier disappeared. He couldn’t focus on the map in front of him because his mind kept going back to Betty.

They had sex last night and he knew it was a big deal to majority of girls. His thought were full of possibilities that came along with it.

Did she regret it? He didn't like that particular thought.  He truly tried to make it as good as possible for her and she was definitely more than happy last night and the next morning.

Was her mother onto something? What if Betty couldn’t stomach lying to her and was now in the spitfire?

What if Alice forbade her to speak to him? No, he knew Betty wouldn’t follow through.

It truly was a peculiar situation. Jughead always kept to himself, avoiding all the drama, and now he was sitting there worried that she wouldn’t answer his texts for a few hours. He started feeling like a creep from those godawful stalker movies, but the uneasiness in his stomach wouldn’t allow him to do anything but think of her.

He decided that he’d visit Betty that night. If she was simply busy and away from her phone, she would be happy to see him, right?

* * *

 

Jughead quietly crossed her street and squatted in the bushes. He felt absolutely ridiculous, but it also meant that he could finally live his fantasy of climbing through the window into arms of his beloved. As teenage romantic heros do, of course. He scoffed at the thought and shook his head.

He slowly made his way to the living room window, wanting to make sure that whatever family member was in there wouldn’t bother them. He lifted his head slightly above window frame and saw Chic sitting with his back straight and hands rested on his lap, staring at the TV screen without blinking. God, and some people teased Jughead for being a weirdo. If they only met this dude.

He made his way back to under Betty’s window and after turning around to look at Andrews house only to see all lights off, quietly started climbing the wall.

* * *

 

Betty was brushing her hair in front of the mirror when she heard an unmistakable squeak of her house’s wall. She smiled to herself. When her and Archie were younger, he’d often climb directly into her bedroom to avoid meeting with Alice. He hasn’t done that in ages and she wondered what he wanted.

When she heard a knock on the glass, she turned around with a big smile on her face. But she didn’t see her best friend. It was Jughead.

Her body was limp as she walked to the window. She opened it and slowly took a few steps back.

“Hey there Juliet,” he said with a grin as he entered into her room.

She was standing there with emotionless expression but her thoughts were racing.

He closed distance between them, extending his arms to hug her. She took a step back.

Jughead was puzzled for a second before some kind of understanding crossed his features. He respectfully moved back.

They were quiet, staring at each other with uncomfortable silence filling the room.

“Betty, what happened?”

His voice was quiet. She didn't answer.

“Did something happen?”

Corner of her mouth lifted. A calm, sweet smile was now on her face. So very Betty.

She shook her head.

“How’s the Chic thing going?”

He looked at her baffled.

“I think we’re getting closer,” he said finally.

Betty laughed quietly. Tears were collecting in her eyes.

Suddenly he understood what she meant. She knew and he just lied straight to her face.

Betty could see realization creeping into him.

He quickly moved in her direction and put his hands on her arms. She wanted to jolt but her body froze.

“I know this is going to sound awfully cliché, but it’s not what you think.”

Betty didn’t say a word. She wanted to allow him to explain whatever twisted explanation he had for all of this.

Jughead took a deep breath.

“Yes,” he started “I know Chic. And yes, I asked him to scare you.”

Betty let out a shaky breath.

“But I didn’t know you then. I swear to whatever God there is, if there is any, that I made sure he’d just… be himself. That guy is creepy by nature, come on, you know it.”

She couldn’t believe her own ears.

“Are you hearing yourself Jughead?”

His eyes were searching hers.

“You think this is ok because you didn’t know me then? It doesn't even matter if it was me or any other girl. That is not something that sane people do."

Jughead's expression was getting cloudy. 

"And after all... you know me now. And you never told me. You wouldn’t tell me now if I didn’t push it.”

He hung his head low and breathed a few times before facing her again.

“I’m from the Southside Betty,” he let out. “We live by different rules. At that time all of you were just strangers to me... not even strangers. The whole damn Northside behaves as if we are enemies. Families here treat us as pariahs.”

She let him speak without interruption because he clearly had something to say.

“I helped Chic a few times because I could say that at some basic level we were similar. We were both outcasts. I lived away from my dad for some time and he’s always been in that God forsaken motel. I don’t know Betty. We were just two weirdos who crossed paths.”

He let go off her and took a step back before continuing to speak.

“I’ve been trying to stop Hiram for a long time before Chic reunited with your family. But when he did, I realized that you were connected to everyone, especially to Veronica and Archie. I asked Chic to turn you in my direction because I assumed that you’d not want to do anything with me otherwise. But I was never trying to hurt you. I never wanted you to get intertwined with what Serpents are doing. I wanted your help and then I planned on leaving you alone.”

“But you didn’t,” Betty’s voice was quiet “you pushed it and used me further. You seduced me because you realized what I can do for you. I was valuable for you crazy plan to take down Mr. Lodge.”

Jughead’s expression was shocked.

“Is that what you think of me? That I’m some psycho manipulator? I never planned on this happening. I never planned that I’d fall for you so hard, Betty.”

His face was pained and she could feel tears welling in her eyes again.

“I know that I shouldn’t have used Chic and I know how crazy I sound, but I only did it because I never anticipated you meaning so much to me. This doesn’t excuse me and I’m so sorry for all of this but I knew that he wouldn’t really hurt you. He wouldn’t hurt anyone; if he ever did I’d never allow him to get so close to anyone, not even a strange Northsider. I was always trying to be in touch with him to make sure he doesn’t take it too far.”

Betty shook her head, tears streaming down her face.

“Jug, I came to you because he killed someone.”

It was as if time stopped for Jughead. He could hear that sentence ringing in his head over and over again. This couldn’t possibly be true. It couldn’t.

He felt sick to the bone, the nausea spilling in his stomach and climbing up his throat. Jughead already tried to erase from his mind that he asked Chic for this kind of favor, but knowing that he murdered someone and he allowed him to be around Betty... It was all his goddamn fault. He screwed things up once again, but this time it hit someone he cared for so deeply.

He swallowed the gulp in his throat.

“What?”

Somehow, he wasn’t able to form a coherent sentence.

Betty was wiping her eyes.

“One day this... this weird man came to our house. He wanted payment for some drugs and started threatening my mom. Chic just took a table lamp and h-hit him in the head and he… he killed him.”

She looked so vulnerable the sight of her was physically paining him.

Betty swallowed.

“I wasn’t there. I came back to my mom cleaning a puddle of blood around that man’s head.”

Jughead took her into his arms and hugged her tightly. She returned the hug eagerly. They both needed that. She didn’t know how much until she was close to him again.

He caressed her hair with a shaky hand. She could feel him trying to calm down his breathing.

Betty felt completely stupid for giving in so easily, but what he said resonated with her. Has he done bad things? She never doubted that. Did he have crazy obsession concerning Mr. Lodge? Surely. But Jughead standing in front of her was a good, caring guy, who just got lost trying to navigate both gang life and his relationship with her.

She realized that Chic’s words had the impact that he surely wished for. Her own prejudices against Serpents came to life.

Jughead without a doubt shook her trust, but she knew that he couldn’t control the turn of events. She believed him when he said that no harm would come to her and had they not fallen for each other, he would let her go as soon as her help was not needed anymore.

“It’s alright,” she said searching his face. “It’s ok Jug.”

He was shaking his head.

“I’m sorry Betty. I’m so sorry. This is all my fault.”

He let go of her and took a step back.

“I need to go. I’ll let you sleep.”

He was visibly stressed, tension crossing his features. She quietly nodded her head.

Jughead approached the window frame and started climbing down. He stopped for a second to give her one last look before disappearing. Betty slowly walked to the window and looked down to see him crossing the street with a fast pace.

She stood there for long time after he left, cold air hugging her body.


	12. Indefinite hiatus

Hi everyone!

I know that it must suck to get a notification and think that I uploaded a chapter when it’s just a note, but I don’t know how to inform you differently. I didn’t want to just orphan my work either. 

Anyway, it’s been... well a long time since I updated. I know that it’s pretty normal for authors to leave and return sometime in the future, but I finally came to the terms with the fact that I don’t have motivation or inspiration to continue this story. 

I’ve been opening it repeatedly in the last months only to close it because I didn’t feel like writing. I pretty much stopped liking where Riverdale was going and hoped that season 3 would change that and inspire me anew.

Sadly, I am really not digging it anymore and I stopped watching after a few episodes so I am putting this work on indefinite hiatus.

I am not orpahing it because, well, writers work in mysterious ways and sometimes they get inspired to finish years down the line. That’s what happened with my other fic (if you look at dates of uploads). 

Still, I am really thankful to anyone and everyone who read and liked my story. You were great to me and you made it an amazing experience while it lasted. 

Also, I have two or three more chapters of this story saved, but I am not really in the mindset to edit them and upload here so... if you want to read an unedited block of text and see what happens next then PM and I’ll be glad to send it to you. 


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